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Irish surname

Doolan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Dubhláin; Ó Dubhlainn; Ó Dúnlaing · Woulfe gives three names: 'descendant of Dubhshlán' (black defiance, challenge); 'descendant of Dubhfhlann' (black Flann); 'descendant of Dunlang' (an ancient personal name)

Woulfe (1923) lists Doolan as an anglicised form of three Irish surnames, Ó Dubhláin, Ó Dubhlainn and Ó Dúnlaing, and warns that their English forms cannot always be told apart. Ó Dubhlainn was the name of a family of the Ui Maine in Co. Galway. In 1890, Ireland's birth indexes held 66 entries for Doolan including spelling varieties (35 spelled Doolan, 13 Doolin), principally in Dublin, Louth, Cork and Tipperary.

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Coat of arms associated with the Doolan surname
Irish formÓ Dubhláin; Ó Dubhlainn; Ó Dúnlaing
MeaningWoulfe gives three names: 'descendant of Dubhshlán' (black defiance, challenge); 'descendant of Dubhfhlann' (black Flann); 'descendant of Dunlang' (an ancient personal name)
CountiesGalway, Dublin, Louth, Cork
Other spellings3

Origin of the Doolan name

Woulfe gives Doolan under three names: Ó Dubhláin, 'a rather common surname in all parts of Ireland'; Ó Dubhlainn, 'a family of the Ui Maine, in Co. Galway'; and Ó Dúnlaing, a numerous Leinster family 'at one time lords of Leix' and a Corca Laoighdhe family in south-west Cork. Their anglicised forms cannot always be distinguished.[1][2][3]

  1. Beginning of the 13th centuryFelix O Dubhlain was Bishop of Ossory.[1]
  2. 189066 entries incl. varieties (35 Doolan, 13 Doolin); principally Dublin, Louth, Cork, Tipperary.[4][6]

Where in Ireland

Co. GalwayWoulfe: Ó Dubhlainn (O'Doolan, Doolan, Doolin) was a family of the Ui Maine in Co. Galway.[2]
Co. DublinFirst county named for Doolan births in the 1890 birth indexes.[4]
Co. LouthAmong the four counties where Doolan births were principally found in 1890.[4]
Co. CorkA principal Doolan county in 1890; Woulfe places an Ó Dúnlaing family in south-west Cork.[4][3]
Co. TipperaryAmong the four counties where Doolan births were principally found in 1890.[4]

Notable people named Doolan

Felix O Dubhlainbeginning of the 13th centuryBishop of Ossory, named by Woulfe under the surname Ó Dubhláin.[1]

Other spellings

O'Doolan · Doolin · Doolen[1][2]

The Doolan coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Doolan surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Doolan crest gifts

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Doolan surname: questions

What does the surname Doolan mean?

Woulfe gives Doolan under three Irish names: Ó Dubhláin, 'descendant of Dubhshlán' (black defiance, challenge); Ó Dubhlainn, 'descendant of Dubhfhlann' (black Flann); and Ó Dúnlaing, 'descendant of Dunlang', an ancient personal name.[1][2][3]

Is Doolan an Irish name?

Yes. Woulfe lists O'Doolan and Doolan as anglicised forms of the Irish surnames Ó Dubhláin and Ó Dubhlainn, and Doolan also among the forms of Ó Dúnlaing.[1][2][3]

Where in Ireland is the Doolan name from?

Woulfe places the Ó Dubhlainn family among the Ui Maine in Co. Galway and calls Ó Dubhláin a rather common surname in all parts of Ireland. In 1890 Doolan births were found principally in Dublin, Louth, Cork and Tipperary.[1][2][4]

Are Doolan and Dolan the same name?

Sometimes. Woulfe lists both Doolan and Dolan as anglicised forms of Ó Dubhláin, but he also gives Doolan under Ó Dubhlainn and Ó Dúnlaing, which do not give Dolan.[1][2][3]

Sources

  1. Ó Dubhláin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-dubhlain.php
  2. Ó Dubhlainn — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-dubhlainn.php
  3. Ó Dúnlaing — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-dunlaing.php
  4. Doolan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/doolan.php
  5. Doolan (list 491) — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/491.php
  6. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).