From Ó Nualláin, most likely ‘famous, noble’ — a Leinster sept rooted in Carlow's ancient Forth barony.
Gaelic Origin · Root meaning ‘noble, famous’
Nolan descends from Nuallán, built on nuall, read either as ‘noble, famous’ or, in an older sense, ‘shout, outcry’. The Ó Nualláin held territory in the barony of Forth, County Carlow, part of the wider Uí Fáeláin lands of ancient Leinster.
A name still thickest on the ground in Carlow today — proof that a small barony can keep its own name alive for a thousand years.
Irish form: Ó Nualláin
