Whalan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Many variations of the name Whalan have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Faoilain, which is derived from the word faol, which means wolf. 1
Early Origins of the Whalan family
The surname Whalan was first found in County Waterford (Irish: Port Láirge), anciently the Deise region, on the South coast of Ireland in the Province of Munster.
Saint Fillan, Foilan or Felan (d. 777?), was an Irish missionary in Scotland in the middle of the eighth century. "His commemoration day in the Scottish calendar is 9 Jan. He was the son of Feredach, a prince in Munster, and Kentigerna, daughter of Kellach Cualann, king of Leinster, and sister to St. Congan. Being thrown into a river on his birth on account of deformity, he was rescued by St. Ibar. He became a monk at first in one of the monasteries of St. Munnu Fintan, and subsequently went from Ireland to the part of Argyll afterwards called Ross, where two churches, Kilkoan and Killellan, derive their names respectively from his uncle Congan and himself. A cave and a church were also named from him in Fife." 2
Early History of the Whalan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whalan research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1658 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Whalan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Whalan Spelling Variations
A name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name Whalan include Phelan, O'Phelan, Whelan, O'Failin, Phalen, Phalon, Phaelan and many more.
Early Notables of the Whalan family
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whalan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Whalan migration to the United States +
In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Whalan family came to North America quite early:
Whalan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Michael Whalan, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3
- John Whalan, aged 23, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1849 3
- A.W. Whalan, who immigrated to the United States, in 1897
- Annie Whalan, aged 18, who landed in America from Mohill, in 1898
- Annie Whalan, aged 19, who settled in America from Rathagan, County Carlow, in 1898
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Whalan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Wm. M Whalan, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1906
- Patrick Whalan, aged 28, who landed in America from Tralee, Ireland, in 1908
- Teresa Whalan, aged 19, who immigrated to America from Tulla, Ireland, in 1909
- Edward Whalan, aged 23, who landed in America from Cong, Ireland, in 1910
- Mark Whalan, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Garadill, Ireland, in 1923
Whalan migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Whalan Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
- Michael Whalan, aged 20, who settled in Colliers Newfoundland, in 1911
Whalan migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Whalan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- John Whalan, a stone-cutter, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Contemporary Notables of the name Whalan (post 1700) +
- James Whalan, Australian settler who was granted 300 acres at Mount Druitt by Governor Ralph Darling in 1831, eponym of Whalan, a suburb of Sydney
- Thomas Whalan (b. 1980), Australian water polo player who competed in the 2000, 2004 and the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Paul Whalan, Australian political lobbyist, former politician
Citations +
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)