The family name Whelan is an anglicisation of the Irish surname Ó Faoláin. The surname originates from the

Middle Irish Middle Irish, sometimes called Middle Gaelic ( ga, An Mheán-Ghaeilge, gd, Meadhan-Ghàidhlig), is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contemporary of late Old Engli ...

(plural ''Uí Faeláin'') the name of the 10th to 11th century ruling dynasty of the

Déisi The ''Déisi'' were a socially powerful class of peoples from Ireland that settled in Wales and western England between the ancient and early medieval period. The various peoples listed under the heading ''déis'' shared the same status in Gaeli ...

, a population group inhabiting the area of the modern county of

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

and

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

in the early medieval period. The word is derived from the Old Irish word ''faelán'' meaning a young (small)

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

; ''-án'' being of the diminutive suffix in Irish. ''Ó'' (anglicised as ''O''') derives from the Old Irish ''úa'', meaning "grandson", or more figuratively "patrilineal descendant". The patronym that follows is always in the genitive case, in accordance with Irish grammatical rules, and is normally marked by an "i" following the final vowel. Therefore, the name Faelán, becomes ''Úa Faeláin'' as a patronym in Middle Irish, from which is derived ''Ó Faoláin'' in Modern Irish, of which in turn ''Whelan'', '' Phelan'', ''O'Phelan'' etc. are anglicisations. According to the legendary history of Ireland, about 300 A.D., the

settled on the site of Dungarvan,

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

. In the 12th and 13th centuries, during the early Anglo-Norman period, records of a political nature relating to the

and the descendants of the Uí Faeláin dynastic group decline. The Faelán referred to is Faelán mac Cormac, who is recorded in the Annals of Inishfallen as having succeeded his father as king of the

in 966. The first person referred to as ''úa Faeláin'' is his grandson Mothla mac Domnall, or Mothla úa Faeláin, who was king of the

until his death at the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chluain Tarbh) took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the forc ...

in 1014, and whose head is recorded in the Annals of Ulster as having been interred with Brian Ború in Armagh. During this period however, Irish patronyms had not yet petrified into surnames proper. According to the Annals of the Four Masters:

The Age of Christ, 1170. M1170.11 Robert Fitz Stephen and Richard, son of Gilbert, i.e. Earl Strongbow, came from England into Ireland with a numerous force, and many knights and archers, in the army of Mac Murchadha ermot MacMurrough to contest
Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
for him, and to disturb the Irish of Ireland in general; and Mac Murchadha gave his daughter to the Earl Strongbow for coming into his army. They took Loch Garman exford town; a stone walled Norse settlement and entered Port-Lairge aterford town; a Norse settlementby force; and they took Gillemaire, the officer of the fortress, and Ua Faelain, lord of the Deisi, and his son, and they killed seven hundred persons there.

By the beginning of the thirteenth century, most of the territory of the

was absorbed into the Anglo-Norman colony. The surname ''Whelan'' remains common in

and in the adjoining part of Co.

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

, particularly in the barony of

Iverk Iverk () is a barony in the south-west of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The size of the barony is . There are 15 civil parishes in Iverk. The chief town today is Piltown. The N24 crosses the barony. Iverk lies at the south-west of the county, wi ...

. The earliest anglicised forms of the Ó Faoláin name were Felan, Faelan, Hyland, with many other similar variants, including Whelan and Phelan in Cos Waterford and Kilkenny. Whelan and Whalen are the most prevalent forms in modern times, and combined are placed seventy-ninth in the list of the hundred most common surnames in Ireland. With Phelan added, the name takes forty-fourth place. Another meaning for Whelan was originated from the earliest version of Irish, the meaning was "clan of the wolf".

Whelans

* Aileen Whelan – English footballer * Anto Whelan – Irish footballer *

Arleen Whelan Arleen Whelan (September 1, 1916 – April 7, 1993) was an American film actress. Early years Whelan was a native of Salt Lake City, Utah. Before she became an actress, she worked in Southern California as a manicurist, contributing her ea ...

– American actress *

Bill Whelan Bill Whelan (born 22 May 1950 in Limerick, Ireland) is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The result, ''Riverdance'', was a seven-minute display of tradi ...

– composer of ''

Riverdance ''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Je ...

'' *

Brian Whelan Brian Whelan (born 3 May 1957) is an Irish painter, author and playwright. Early life Whelan was born in Ealing, West London, UK, of Irish Roman Catholic parents. His childhood was spent both in London and Ireland (Kilkenny Waterford and Dubl ...

– painter, author and filmmaker; paintings in public/private collections worldwide; 3 books published and one film in the UK National Gallery of Art *

Charles Wheelan Charles J. Wheelan (born 1966) is an American professor, journalist, speaker, and is the founder and co-chairman of Unite America. Wheelan is the author of ''Naked Statistics'', ''Naked Economics'', and ''Naked Money''. He was an unsuccessful ...

– American author *

Charlie Whelan Charles Alexander James Whelan (born 3 February 1954, north-east Surrey) is former political director of the British trade union Unite. He rose to prominence as spokesman for Labour politician Gordon Brown from 1992 to 1999. He has also worked ...

– served as a special advisor in Her Majesty's Treasury under Gordon Brown * Chris Whelan – Middlesex cricketer * Christine Whelan – American author, journalist and commentator * Ciara Whelan - Irish television presenter *

Ciarán Whelan Ciarán Whelan (born 28 February 1976 in Raheny, County Dublin) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for the Raheny club and, formerly, for the Dublin county team. He is right-footed but can kick with both feet and usually plays in midfield. He wa ...

– Irish Gaelic footballer *

Dave Whelan David Whelan (born 24 November 1936) is an English businessman and former footballer. During his football career, he played for Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra. Whelan is the former owner of club Wigan Athletic, having also been the chai ...

– Former professional footballer with Blackburn Rovers and the current owner of

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

* David Whelan – English golf instructor and former golfer * Dutee A. Whelan, American politician * Edward Whelan – Canadian politician * Edward Whelan – A member of the O'Shea and Whelan family * Elizabeth Whelan – American author, epidemiologist, and consumer advocate *

Emily Whelan Emily Whelan (born 22 August 2002) is an Irish footballer who plays for Scottish Women's Premier League club Glasgow City F.C., Glasgow City and the Republic of Ireland women's national football team. She is a former Gaelic footballer. Career ...

– Irish footballer *

Eugene Whelan Eugene Francis "Gene" Whelan, ( ) was a Canadian politician, sitting in the House of Commons from 1962 to 1984, and in the Senate from 1996 to 1999. He was also Minister of Agriculture under Pierre Trudeau from 1972 to 1984, and became one ...

– Canadian politician *

Fern Whelan Gabriella Fern Whelan (born 5 December 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played for Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C. She previously played for both Liverpool and Everton in her native Merseyside and Notts County. She has repr ...

– English footballer *

Gary Whelan Gary Whelan (born 1953) is an Irish actor, known for his work on British television. Early life Whelan was born in Ireland but he relocated to London when he was ten years old. He then attended Holloway School.Ballykissangel ''Ballykissangel'' is a BBC television drama created by Kieran Prendiville and set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural comm ...

amongst other things) * Gavan Whelan – drummer for the band James *

Gemma Whelan Gemma Elizabeth Whelan (born 23 April 1981) is an English actress and comedian known for portraying Yara Greyjoy in the HBO fantasy-drama series ''Game of Thrones''. She also plays Kate in all seasons of the comedy '' Upstart Crow'', Detective ...

– English actress and comedian *

George J. Whelan George J. Whelan (birth and death dates unknown) served as the 7th Mayor of San Francisco in from July 8 to November 15, 1856. He had been a lawyer and before serving as mayor. He actually was chosen mayor by justices of the peace who were act ...

– former mayor of San Francisco *

Glenn Whelan Glenn David Whelan (born 13 January 1984) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bristol Rovers. He has represented the Republic of Ireland national football team. Whelan started his career at Manchester Ci ...

– Republic of Ireland international footballer * Gloria Whelan – American author, winner of the National Book Award for Children's Literature (2000) * Hannah Whelan – British gymnast, competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics * Heather Whelan - Irish cricketer * James R. Whelan - journalist and educator *

Jill Whelan Jill Whelan (born September 29, 1966) is an American actress. She played Vicki Stubing, the daughter of Captain Stubing, in the first nine seasons of the American television series ''The Love Boat'' (later rebooted as '' Love Boat: The Next W ...

– American actress *

Jim Whelan Jim Whelan (November 8, 1948 – August 22, 2017) was an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate where he represented the 2nd Legislative District, from January 8, 2008, until his death. Early life Whela ...

(1948–2017) - American politician * John W. Whelan- American politician * Jordan Whelan – American musician *

Julia Whelan Julia May Whelan (born May 8, 1984) is an American actress and author. She is best known for her role as Grace Manning on the television family drama series '' Once and Again'' (1999–2002), and her co-starring role in the 2002 Lifetime movie ' ...

– American actress *

Leo Whelan Leo Whelan RHA (10 January 1892 – 6 November 1956) was an Irish painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics. Born in Dublin and educated at Belvedere College and the Metropolita ...

(1892–1956) - Irish painter *

Liam Whelan William Augustine Whelan (1 April 1935 – 6 February 1958), also known as Billy Whelan or Liam Whelan, was an Irish footballer and one of the eight Manchester United players who were killed in the Munich air disaster. He was 22 years old when ...

– former

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

footballer who died in the Munich Air Disaster. Also known as Billy Whelan *

Máire Whelan Máire Rita Whelan (born 24 November 1956) is an Irish judge who has served on the Court of Appeal since June 2017. She previously served as Attorney General of Ireland from 2011 to 2017. She was the first woman to hold the office of Attorney Ge ...

–

Attorney General of Ireland The Attorney General of Ireland ( ga, An tArd-Aighne) is a constitutional officer who is the legal adviser to the Government and is therefore the chief law officer of the State. The attorney general is not a member of the Government but does pa ...

Marcus Whelan Marcus Joseph Whelan (27 June 1914 – 31 August 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of John Whelan and Ellen Margaret Whelan, née Parker, he was born in ...

– Australian Rules footballer *

Marty Whelan Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...

- Irish radio personality * Matthew Whelan – Indigenous Australian Rules footballer *

Michael Whelan Michael Whelan (born 29 June 1950) is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years, he worked as an illustrator, specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art. Since the mid-1990s, he has pursued a fine art career, ...

– American artist *

Nicky Whelan Nicky Whelan (born 10 May 1981) is an Australian actress and model known for her role as Pepper Steiger in the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''. Career Before ''Neighbours'', Whelan hosted a number of shows, including '' Coxy's Big Brea ...

– Australian actress from Neighbours * Noel Whelan – Former Premiership footballer *

Nuala O'Faolain Nuala O'Faolain (; 1 March 19409 May 2008) was an Irish journalist, TV producer, book reviewer, teacher and writer. She became well known after the publication of her memoirs ''Are You Somebody?'' and ''Almost There''. She wrote a biography of I ...

– Irish journalist * Patrick J. Whelan – Visionary pioneer of financial electronic platforms * Patrick J. Whelan – tailor who was hanged for assassinating D'Arcy McGee *

Patrick Whelan Patrick Whelan (4 September 1893 – 26 April 1916) was an Irish Volunteer, killed in action in Boland's Mill during the Battle of Mount Street Bridge at the time of the Easter Rising of 1916. He was 22 years old when he died and was awarded ...

- Irish volunteer killed in the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

of 1916 *

Paul Whelan (politician) Paul Francis Patrick Whelan (12 December 1943 – 30 October 2019) was an Australian politician, who served as the New South Wales Minister for Police between 1995 and 2001. Early years and background Whelan was born and raised in Ashbury, a ...

(1943–2019), New South Wales state politician * Paul F. Whelan, Irish academic *

Paul Whelan (security director) Paul Nicholas Whelan (born March 5, 1970) is a Canadian-born former United States Marine with U.S., British, Irish, and Canadian citizenship. He was arrested in Russia on December 28, 2018, and accused of spying. On June 15, 2020, he received a 1 ...

, US citizen and corporate security director arrested in Russia in late 2018 on accusations of being a spy *

Peter Whelan Peter Whelan (3 October 1931 – 3 July 2014) was a British playwright. Whelan was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, England. As a student from 1951–55 Whelan was an inspirational figure in the newly-formed Drama Society at the experimental ...

- academic lawyer *

Ronnie Whelan Ronald Andrew Whelan (; born 25 September 1961) is an Irish former professional footballer player who played as a midfielder and sometimes as a defender. He played an integral role in the dominant Liverpool side that won a wealth of titles in ...

– played for

Liverpool Football Club Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has ...

and is the son of Ronnie Whelan, Sr. who was also a footballer *

Seán Ó Faoláin Seán Proinsias Ó Faoláin (27 February 1900 – 20 April 1991) was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Irish culture. A short-story writer of international repute, he was also a leading commentator and critic. Biography Ó ...

– born John Francis Whelan, writer *

Thomas Whelan Thomas Whelan (; 5 October 1898 – 14 March 1921) was one of six men executed in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin on 14 March 1921. He was 22 years old at the time of his death. Background Whelan was born in Gortrummagh near Clifden, County Gal ...

– Irish IRA Volunteer, one of

The Forgotten Ten The Forgotten Ten ( ga, An Deichniúr Dearmadta) were ten members of the Irish Republican Army who were executed in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, by British forces following courts martial from 1920 to 1921 during the Irish War of Independence. Bas ...

* Thomas J. Whelan – Irish-American mayor * Thomas J. Whelan – American judge *

Tom Whelan Thomas Joseph Whelan (January 3, 1894 – June 26, 1957) was a professional football player who spent three years in the American Professional Football Association, the forerunner to the National Football League, with the Canton Bulldogs in 19 ...

– American football player *

Tommy Whelan Thomas Joseph Whelan (March 4, 1911 – June 1, 1974) was an American football player who played one season with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at The Catholic University of America ...

– American football player * Tony Whelan – former

footballer *

Wendy Whelan Wendy Whelan (; born May 7, 1967) is an American ballet dancer. She was principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and performed with the company for 30 years, and toured in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Whelan has also been an influential gue ...

– American ballet dancer and associate artistic director of New York City Ballet * Donan Whelan- Actor and restaurant manager

Characters

Abby Whelan Abigail Whelan is a fictional character portrayed by Darby Stanchfield, created by Shonda Rhimes for the political drama television series ''Scandal''. Whelan is Jewish, worked in the Washington, D.C.-based crisis management-firm, Pope & Associ ...

- fictional character on Scandal

References

* * * *

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whelan Surnames Irish families Surnames of Irish origin English-language surnames Anglicised Irish-language surnames

Whelans

Characters

See also

References