2000
#1,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.10
Uncommon Last name
Dolan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dúbhshláine," meaning "descendant of Dúbhshláine" (the dark-haired man of the River Sláine).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,159 Americans carry the last name Dolan. That puts it at #1,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dolan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dolan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,365
Census rank
#1,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,300 bearers of the surname Dolan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dolan
The surname Dolan is of Irish origin, with its roots traced back to the ancient Gaelic name O'Dualain or O'Doolain. The name is derived from the Irish word "dualmhuigh," meaning "poet" or "rhymer." This suggests that the original bearers of this name were associated with the bardic tradition in Ireland.
The earliest recorded instances of the Dolan surname can be found in the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest documented references is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Dolan family from County Westmeath.
The surname Dolan has a strong connection to County Westmeath and County Longford in Ireland. It is believed that the name originated in these regions and later spread to other parts of Ireland and beyond.
Notable individuals with the surname Dolan include John Dolan (c. 1755-1827), an Irish-American merchant and patriot who played a significant role in the American Revolution. Another prominent figure is Brian Patrick Dolan (1830-1918), a Catholic priest and prominent educator who founded several schools and colleges in the United States.
Father Edward Dolan (1857-1932), a Catholic priest and historian, contributed significantly to the documentation of Irish history and culture. He was instrumental in preserving many ancient Irish manuscripts and records.
In the realm of sports, James Dolan (born 1955) is a notable figure as the executive chairman and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company, which owns several professional sports teams, including the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
Another influential individual with the Dolan surname is writer and journalist Marti Dolan (born 1952), who has authored several books and has been a prominent figure in the field of journalism, particularly in Los Angeles.
While the Dolan surname has its origins in Ireland, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dolan
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dolan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dolan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 24,273
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 895
- Two or more races2.6% · 688
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 258
- Black or African American0.4% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dolan
Dolan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,329
+77 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 9.26
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#1,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,300
-1,029 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 8.80
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,179 | 27,252 | 10.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,283 | 27,329 | 9.26 | +77 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #1,312 | 26,300 | 8.80 | -1,029 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 29 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dolan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,283 | #1,312 | -2.3% |
| Count | 27,329 | 26,300 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 9.26 | 8.80 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dolan bearers went from 27,329 to 26,300 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,283 to #1,312.
FAQ
Dolan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dolan?
Name Census estimates that about 30,159 living Americans carry the surname Dolan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,365 residents.
How common is Dolan?
Dolan ranks #1,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,300 people with the surname Dolan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Dolan.
Has Dolan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dolan went from 27,329 recorded bearers to 26,300. That is a decrease of 1,029 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,283 to #1,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Dolan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dolan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (24,273 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dolan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dolan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dolan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dúbhshláine," meaning "descendant of Dúbhshláine" (the dark-haired man of the River Sláine). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dolan (8.80 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Dolan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.