NameCensus.

UK surname

Carolan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cearbhalláin," meaning "descendant of Cearbhallán," a personal name of uncertain meaning.

In the 1881 census there were 95 people recorded with the Carolan surname, ranking it #20,349 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,306, ranked #4,589, up from #20,349 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Toxteth Park, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tameside, Doncaster and Cambridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Carolan is 1,344 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1274.7%.

1881 census count

95

Ranked #20,349

Modern count

1,306

2016, ranked #4,589

Peak year

2010

1,344 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Carolan had 95 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,349 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,306 in 2016, ranked #4,589.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 157 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Carolan surname distribution map

The map shows where the Carolan surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Carolan surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Carolan over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 51 #24,096
1861 historical 58 #26,585
1881 historical 95 #20,349
1891 historical 110 #22,557
1901 historical 147 #18,270
1911 historical 157 #17,348
1997 modern 1,263 #4,511
1998 modern 1,322 #4,492
1999 modern 1,325 #4,520
2000 modern 1,310 #4,543
2001 modern 1,298 #4,487
2002 modern 1,334 #4,474
2003 modern 1,297 #4,496
2004 modern 1,294 #4,502
2005 modern 1,299 #4,427
2006 modern 1,276 #4,517
2007 modern 1,292 #4,514
2008 modern 1,265 #4,617
2009 modern 1,298 #4,615
2010 modern 1,344 #4,561
2011 modern 1,334 #4,535
2012 modern 1,288 #4,611
2013 modern 1,307 #4,634
2014 modern 1,327 #4,594
2015 modern 1,313 #4,587
2016 modern 1,306 #4,589

Geography

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Where Carolans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Toxteth Park, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Manchester and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tameside, Doncaster, Cambridge, Sunderland and Birmingham. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Toxteth Park Lancashire
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tameside 027 Tameside
2 Doncaster 003 Doncaster
3 Cambridge 009 Cambridge
4 Sunderland 014 Sunderland
5 Birmingham 023 Birmingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Carolan

These lists show first names that appear often with the Carolan surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Carolan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Carolan, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Carolan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Carolan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Carolan is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Carolan is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Carolan falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Carolan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Carolan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Carolan

The surname Carolan is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic personal name Cearbhallan, which means "gambler" or "roving bard." It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century.

The name is thought to have first appeared in County Meath, Ireland, where it was associated with a family of notable bards and harpists. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738), a celebrated Irish harper and composer who was blind from an early age.

The name Carolan can also be found in various historical records and manuscripts, including the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It is mentioned in connection with several prominent figures and events from that time period.

Another notable bearer of the Carolan name was Charles Carolan (1783-1846), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected military historian and author.

In the 19th century, the name Carolan was associated with several literary figures, including Patrick Carolan (1823-1898), an Irish poet and journalist who wrote extensively about Irish culture and history.

The name Carolan has also been linked to various place names in Ireland, such as Carolan's Quarter, a townland in County Meath, and Carolan's Rock, a landmark in County Leitrim.

Other notable individuals with the surname Carolan include John Carolan (1857-1942), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and Michael Carolan (1912-1988), an Irish-born painter and sculptor known for his abstract works.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Carolan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Carolan surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 24 Carolans recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.21x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 24 2.21x
Cheshire 11 5.44x
Staffordshire 10 3.23x
Durham 6 2.20x
Middlesex 5 0.55x
Cornwall 4 3.85x
Lanarkshire 4 1.35x
Northamptonshire 4 4.64x
Renfrewshire 4 5.63x
Dunbartonshire 3 12.18x
Midlothian 3 2.44x
Yorkshire 3 0.33x
Angus 2 2.35x
Denbighshire 2 5.78x
Devon 2 1.05x
Northumberland 2 1.47x
Aberdeenshire 1 1.18x
Berwickshire 1 9.01x
Carmarthenshire 1 2.59x
Surrey 1 0.22x
Sussex 1 0.65x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nantwich in Cheshire leads with 11 Carolans recorded in 1881 and an index of 468.09x.

Place Total Index
Nantwich 11 468.09x
Bishopwearmouth 6 25.63x
Bootle Cum Linacre 6 69.44x
Handsworth 5 65.53x
Harborne 5 50.40x
Liverpool 5 7.57x
Eastwood 4 91.32x
Northampton St Sepulchre 4 91.12x
Paul 4 211.64x
Westminster St James 4 42.46x
Barony 3 4.00x
Bradford 3 13.64x
Row 3 94.04x
Toxteth Park 3 8.14x
Eccleston In Prescot 2 36.63x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 4.05x
Exeter St Olave 2 800.00x
Liff Benvie 2 15.52x
Newcastle On Tyne St 2 28.29x
Ruabon 2 42.02x
Worsley 2 29.81x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 1 6.30x
Aighton Bailey 1 192.31x
Bunkle Preston 1 434.78x
Carmarthen St Peter 1 30.30x
Chelsea London 1 3.62x
Edinburgh Greenside S 1 222.22x
Glasgow 1 1.90x
Hastings St Mary 1 25.97x
Lambeth 1 1.25x
Manchester 1 2.04x
Moss Side 1 17.48x
Oldham 1 2.85x
Pendleton In Salford 1 7.72x
Widnes 1 12.74x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Carolan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 7
Margaret 3
Ann 2
Florence 2
Sarah 2
Susan 2
Anne 1
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Jane 1
Janet 1
Kate 1
Minnie 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Carolan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Patrick 9
James 5
Thomas 5
John 4
Hugh 3
Joseph 2
Philip 2
Albert 1
Austin 1
Edward 1
Francis 1
George 1
Matthew 1
Michael 1
Owen 1
Richard 1
Thos.P. 1
William 1

FAQ

Carolan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Carolan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 95 people were recorded with the Carolan surname. That placed it at #20,349 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Carolan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,306 in 2016. That gives Carolan a modern rank of #4,589.

What does the Carolan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cearbhalláin," meaning "descendant of Cearbhallán," a personal name of uncertain meaning.

What does the Carolan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Carolan bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.