Dolan - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Dúbhláin
Meaning: “black defiance”
Traditional stronghold: Roscommon, Cavan
Pronunciation: DOH-lan; Irish Ó Dobhailen: oh DOH-lin
History of the Dolan name
Dolan derives from Ó Dobhailen, a sept of the Uí Maine group whose lands lay in east Galway and south Roscommon, recorded there from the eleventh century. Over time the name migrated north and east, and by the modern era Dolans were most numerous in Cavan, Fermanagh and Leitrim, where the name is now regarded as characteristically Breifne. The anglicised forms Dolan, Dolen and occasionally Doolan absorbed what were originally distinct spellings. Emigration made the name prominent in America, where Dolans rose to the heights of the Catholic Church, business and entertainment.
Variants: Dolen · O'Dolan · Doolan (sometimes)
Famous bearers of the name
- Joe Dolan - Mullingar showband and pop singer beloved across Ireland for five decades.
- Timothy Dolan - Cardinal Archbishop of New York, of Irish-American stock.
- Charles Dolan - Irish-American founder of HBO and Cablevision.
- Xavier Dolan - Award-winning Québécois filmmaker of Irish paternal descent.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · O'Connor · Murray · Brennan · Brady · Flynn · O'Reilly · McGowan