boys' name ★ peaked 2015

Nolan

Meaning descendant of Nuallán Gender Boy Rank 2025 #65 Trend → Stable

Anglicized from Irish Ó Nualláin (literally “descendant of Nuallán”), diminutive of nuall (“chariot-fighter, champion”).

Rank 2025
#65
among boys · ↓1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
4,865
named Nolan · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 352
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2015
5,757 babies
All-time total
136,061
#251 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Nolan popularity over time

136,061 babies have been named Nolan since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 31 31 3 – #665
1890s – 75 75 8 +142% #619
1900s – 174 174 17 +132% #491
1910s 12 1,021 1,033 103 +494% #458
1920s 5 1,674 1,679 168 +63% #446
1930s – 1,822 1,822 182 +9% #398
1940s 5 2,003 2,008 201 +10% #384
1950s – 1,960 1,960 196 -2% #450
1960s – 1,494 1,494 149 -24% #593
1970s – 2,006 2,006 201 +34% #509
1980s 31 4,678 4,709 471 +135% #352
1990s 30 11,791 11,821 1,182 +151% #211
2000s 93 26,374 26,467 2,647 +124% #122
2010s 208 50,045 50,253 5,025 +90% #65
2020s (to 2025) 172 30,357 30,529 5,088 +1% #57

Where Nolan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 4,797 2.81 #66
2027 4,756 2.78 #68
2028 4,722 2.76 #69
2029 4,692 2.75 #70
2030 4,668 2.73 #70

Where Nolan is most popular

Boys named Nolan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 2.91 per 1,000. Strongest in New Hampshire, Wyoming, and Maine.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Nolan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Hampshire 175 7.88 +171%
Wyoming 43 7.43 +155%
Maine 142 7.32 +151%
Delaware 97 6.40 +120%
Vermont 40 6.37 +119%
North Dakota 98 5.74 +97%
South Dakota 105 5.64 +94%
Mississippi 291 5.12 +76%
Minnesota 597 4.87 +67%
Pennsylvania 1,278 4.81 +65%
Massachusetts 661 4.81 +65%
Rhode Island 78 4.78 +64%
Missouri 656 4.73 +62%
Wisconsin 555 4.68 +61%
Colorado 591 4.58 +57%
West Virginia 145 4.44 +52%
Ohio 1,158 4.37 +50%
Alaska 52 4.37 +50%
Iowa 293 4.25 +46%
South Carolina 433 4.19 +44%
Kentucky 413 4.12 +41%
Arkansas 259 4.09 +41%
Montana 72 4.08 +40%
North Carolina 1,036 4.06 +39%
Connecticut 273 4.03 +38%
District of Columbia 59 4.00 +37%
Alabama 425 3.89 +33%
Georgia 942 3.72 +28%
Illinois 945 3.70 +27%
Indiana 592 3.69 +27%
Maryland 432 3.62 +24%
Kansas 243 3.54 +22%
Virginia 669 3.53 +21%
New Jersey 700 3.48 +19%
Tennessee 623 3.45 +18%
Oklahoma 305 3.45 +18%
Nebraska 145 3.33 +14%
Michigan 680 3.32 +14%
Washington 500 3.06 +5%
Oregon 231 3.04 ≈ national
Louisiana 306 2.99 ≈ national
Utah 266 2.79 ≈ national
New York 1,160 2.68 -8%
Idaho 108 2.64 -9%
Florida 1,209 2.55 -12%
Hawaii 39 2.51 -14%
Texas 2,203 2.50 -14%
California 2,266 2.48 -15%
Nevada 136 2.39 -18%
New Mexico 74 2.25 -23%
Arizona 346 2.11 -27%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Nolan

Nolan is a top-100 name for boys in the United States, ranked #65 in 2025 with 4,846 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 136,061 American babies have been named Nolan. Its peak came in 2015, when 5,757 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Nolan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nolan?

The median living Nolan is about 12 years old; half are between 6 and 21. An estimated 128 thousand people named Nolan are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Nolan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 19 #6,272 4,846 #65
2024 29 #4,741 4,900 #64
2023 34 #4,259 5,129 #57
2022 27 #4,995 4,928 #65
2021 35 #4,152 5,354 #60
2020 28 #4,727 5,200 #61
2019 36 #4,055 5,403 #65
2018 29 #4,743 5,629 #65
2017 28 #4,897 5,400 #67
2016 23 #5,750 5,634 #67
2015 18 #6,915 5,739 #71
2014 20 #6,383 5,210 #81
2013 14 #8,457 4,745 #86
2012 12 #9,564 4,427 #89
2011 16 #7,699 4,169 #92
2010 12 #9,652 3,689 #104
2009 9 #12,195 3,437 #122
2008 10 #11,381 3,151 #131
2007 15 #8,419 3,171 #133
2006 8 #13,296 2,839 #146
2005 7 #14,117 2,719 #149
2004 19 #6,436 2,489 #162
2003 10 #10,231 2,217 #175
2002 8 #11,901 2,232 #172
2001 7 #13,108 2,093 #180
2000 – – 2,026 #182
1995 – – 1,066 #263
1990 6 #12,448 846 #302
1985 10 #6,797 478 #379
1980 – – 329 #465
1975 – – 201 #569
1970 – – 180 #606
1965 – – 112 #704
1960 – – 166 #608
1955 – – 199 #518
1950 – – 215 #450
1945 5 #5,059 174 #450
1940 – – 221 #384
1935 – – 188 #399
1930 – – 180 #438
1925 – – 161 #479
1920 – – 157 #486
1915 – – 118 #514
1910 – – 31 #509
1905 – – 17 #584
1900 – – 16 #642
1895 – – 8 #849
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Nolan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Nolan Ryan Nolan Ryan American baseball player (born 1947) Contemporary
  2. 2 Nolan Gould Nolan Gould American actor (born 1998) Contemporary
  3. 3 Nolan North Nolan North American actor (born 1970) Contemporary
  4. 4 Nolan Bushnell Nolan Bushnell American businessman and engineer (born 1943) Contemporary
  5. 5 Nolan Gerard Funk Nolan Gerard Funk Canadian actor, singer and model b. 1986 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Nolan Roux Nolan Roux French footballer (born 1988) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Nolan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Nolan?

The median living Nolan is about 12 years old. Half of all living Nolans are between 6 and 21 years old.

How many people named Nolan are alive today?

An estimated 128 thousand people named Nolan are alive in the United States, based on 136,061 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Nolan mean?

Anglicized from Irish Ó Nualláin (literally “descendant of Nuallán”), diminutive of nuall (“chariot-fighter, champion”).

How popular is the name Nolan in 2025?

Nolan ranked #65 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 4,846 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nolan?

136,061 babies have been named Nolan in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nolan most popular?

Nolan peaked in 2015, when 5,757 newborns received the name.

Is Nolan a boy or girl name?

Nolan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Nolan rising or falling?

Nolan has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Nolan become more popular?

Nolan looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 4,668 boys named Nolan in 2030, ranking around #70. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Nolan?

Well-known people named Nolan include Nolan Ryan (baseball player), Nolan Gould (actor), Nolan North (actor).

Names like Nolan

Names that sound and feel close to Nolan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Nolan with similar names → More names starting with N →