Whelan - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Faoláin
Meaning: “wolf”
Traditional stronghold: Carlow, Waterford
Phelan is the same name.
Pronunciation: WAY-lun or WHEE-lun; Irish O Faolain: oh FWEE-lawn
History of the Whelan name
O Faolain, meaning 'descendant of the little wolf', was the name of an early ruling sept of the Deise territory in County Waterford, who were kings of the Deise before the Anglo-Norman invasion curtailed their power. A distinct sept of the same name existed in County Wexford. The Waterford family in particular held considerable influence in the region into the later medieval period. The O prefix fell away in most cases through the 18th and 19th centuries, leaving Whelan (and the closely related Phelan, which better preserves the original F sound), both of which remain heavily concentrated in Waterford, Kilkenny and the southeast of Ireland.
Variants: Phelan · Whelehan · O'Whelan
Famous bearers of the name
- Bill Whelan - Irish composer, wrote the score for Riverdance
- Charlie Whelan - British political adviser of Irish descent
- Ken Whelan - Irish footballer
- Leo Whelan - early 20th-century Irish portrait painter
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Walsh · Power · Kavanagh · Nolan · McGrath · Dowling · Curran · Foley