About this name
We do not yet have a written origin for Whelan, so here is what the census records show.
Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.
Similar spellings
Names nearby in the census
#3,181
Whelan was the 3,181st most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 11,363 people, about 3.7 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Whelan is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.