Surname Conolan - Meaning and Origin

Conolan: What does the surname Conolan mean?

The last name Conolan is believed to be of Irish origin and may have originated with a clan indigenous to the Irish region of County Mayo. The root of the name is derived from the Gaelic phrase Conulan, which translates as “hurler” or “one who throws stones”. This could refer to any number of activities, from actual stone throwing to the sport of hurling, a popular game in County Mayo.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Ireland was divided into shires governed by the English, and during this time the Conolan name became part of the landscape. This was a time when powerful families and clans emerged and began to compete with one another. The Conolan family’s first recorded presence in County Mayo was in the 1600s, with the first recorded use of the name Conolan as a surname being in a document that dates back to 1696.

Today, the Conolan name is most commonly associated with County Mayo, where Clan Conolan has held a strong presence since its founding. However, its reach has extended throughout the world, with many members of the Conolan family having emigrated to other parts of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond. As one of Ireland’s oldest last names, the Conolan name is steeped in history and tradition and has earned a unique and important place in Irish history.

Conolan: Where does the name Conolan come from?

The last name Conolan is most common today in Ireland. It is a relatively rare name and is mainly found in County Mayo and other parts of Connacht. It is believed to be originally derived from the pre-Gaelic Celtic sept of the same name, and is one of the many Irish surnames derived from the Norman invaders of the 12th century.

By far the largest concentration of Conolans is in County Mayo, where it is still a very popular name. In the county's 1850 census, more than one-tenth of Mayo's population had the surname. It is still quite common in Mayo today, where it is the 68th most popular surname, making up 0.3% of the population according to the 2019 Irish surname distribution lists.

Outside Mayo, Conolan is much less common. The Central Statistics Office's 2019 national surname saturation lists places the Conolan's at number 181. This makes it higher on the list than some more historically popular names such as Sullivan and Morgan, but still not as common as more traditional names such as Murphy, Kelly, and Buckley.

It is found in a few other counties in Connacht, in smaller splits, such as Roscommon, Sligo, and Galway, but outside of Connacht, the Conolan surname disappears almost entirely. This means that Conolan is mainly an Irish surname and is mainly found in County Mayo and the surrounding counties.

Variations of the surname Conolan

The surname Conolan is derived from the Irish surname Conallan, which is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Conalláin, meaning “Grandson of Conallán”. Conallán itself is composed of two parts: the personal name Conall, meaning “strong wolf”, and the diminutive suffix -án, meaning “little”.

Variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for Conolan include:

-Conlan

Conlin

Conlon

Conloan

Connellan

Connolly

Connoly

Connal

Connall

Connollyne

-Connally

-Connaly

Condlan

Conal

Connalen

Connlen

Konlan

Konlon

Konally

Konaly

Cunnalen

Cunallen

Cunnelly

The forms of the surname Conolan can also be found in anglicised versions of the Irish language, often with spelling variations such as Ó Conaill or more uncommonly Ó Coinnall.

The surname Conolan is found in many parts of the world today, particularly in Ireland, the United States, Australia, and Canada. It is most common in Ireland and Scotland, though there are variances on the spelling due to different regional dialects. In Ireland, variations such as “Conallen”, “Connelan”, and “Connellan” are increasingly seen.

It should be noted that although the surname Conolan may be used interchangeably with other spellings and surnames of the same origin, the variations may have separate roots and meanings. It is important to research the origins and meanings of all spelled-out variants to determine if they are indeed related or a coincidence.

Famous people with the name Conolan

• Dan Conlan: actor in the Australian television series, SeaChange
• Cormac Conlan: Irish track and field athlete who represented Ireland at the 1988 Olympics
• Bill Conlon: former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Hannah Conlan: English film and television actress
• Rory Conlan: former professional American football player
• Clare Conlan: British editor and television executive
• Sean Conlan: former Irish politician and Member of Parliament
• Mike Conlan: professional boxer from Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Tom Conlan: American politician and former Pima County Attorney
• Billy Conlan: retired Irish footballer who played as a striker

Other surnames

Conoly