2000
#56,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 337
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Filan
A surname likely linked to Italian or Spanish origins meaning "son of Filano."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 411 Americans carry the last name Filan. That puts it at #60,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 833,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Filan 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.
Bearers in the US
411
1 in 833,952
Census rank
#60,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
358
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 358 bearers of the surname Filan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Filan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Filan
The surname FILAN is of Irish origin, originating in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "fíoláin," meaning "a keeper of a vein or green road." This refers to the ancient practice of maintaining pathways through forests and wilderness areas.
FILAN is a variant spelling of the more common Irish surname Phelan or Whelan. The name was initially concentrated in the counties of Kilkenny, Laois, and Waterford in southeastern Ireland. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the FILAN spelling can be found in parish records from these regions in the 17th and 18th centuries.
One notable historical figure with this surname was James Filan (1736-1821), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War. He served under General George Washington and was present at the Siege of Yorktown, which effectively ended the war.
Another early bearer of the name was Patrick Filan (c. 1760-1840), a farmer and landowner from County Kilkenny. He is mentioned in several land deeds and property records from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the 19th century, the FILAN surname spread beyond Ireland as a result of the Irish diaspora. John Filan (1822-1897), born in County Laois, emigrated to Australia in the 1840s and became a prominent businessman and landowner in New South Wales.
Bridget Filan (1845-1920), born in County Waterford, immigrated to the United States in the 1860s and settled in Boston, Massachusetts. She is recorded in the 1870 U.S. Census as working as a domestic servant.
A notable literary figure with this surname was the Irish poet and playwright Michael Filan (1892-1968). He was born in County Kilkenny and is best known for his works exploring themes of Irish identity and rural life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Filan
Among Census respondents with the surname Filan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Filan 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 Filan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 308
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 25
- Two or more races3.9% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Filan
Filan 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
#74,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 260
-77 bearers (-22.8%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 17,688 places
2020
#60,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 358
+98 bearers (+37.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 13,658 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #56,687 | 337 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #74,375 | 260 | 0.09 | -77 bearers (-22.8%) | Down 17,688 places |
| 2020 | #60,717 | 358 | 0.12 | +98 bearers (+37.7%) | Up 13,658 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 Filan 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 | #74,375 | #60,717 | 18.4% |
| Count | 260 | 358 | 37.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.12 | 33.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Filan bearers went from 260 to 358 (+37.7% change). The surname moved up 13,658 positions in the national ranking, going from #74,375 to #60,717.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Filan
FAQ
Filan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Filan?
Name Census estimates that about 411 living Americans carry the surname Filan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 833,952 residents.
How common is Filan?
Filan ranks #60,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 358 people with the surname Filan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (411), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Filan.
Has Filan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Filan went from 260 recorded bearers to 358. That is an increase of 98 (+37.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #74,375 to #60,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Filan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Filan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Filan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (308 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Filan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Filan (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 Filan mean?
A surname likely linked to Italian or Spanish origins meaning "son of Filano." 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 Filan (0.12 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 Filan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.