From Ó Faoláin, ‘little wolf’ — kings of the Déise in Waterford before the Anglo-Norman invasion.
The Phelan certificate.
Digital €19.99 · Printed €39.99 · Framed €89.99. 20% off at checkout.
Gaelic Origin · Root meaning ‘little wolf’
Phelan comes from Ó Faoláin, a diminutive of faol, ‘wolf’. Before 1170 the family ruled the Déise territory in County Waterford as kings in their own right — one of the ruling dynasties displaced when the first Norman ships landed nearby.
A name that once meant king in its own territory, worn now like any other — proof that rank fades but a name, and the people who kept it, don't have to.
Irish form: Ó Faoláin
