Show ContentsNowlin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Throughout history, very few Irish surnames have exclusively maintained their original forms. Before being translated into English, Nowlin appeared as Ó Nualláin, which is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "nuall," meaning "nobler, famous." 1 2

"Ó Nualláin, this name is numerous in all the provinces, especially in its homeland, south-east Leinster. " 3

Early Origins of the Nowlin family

The surname Nowlin was first found in County Carlow (Irish: Cheatharlach) a small landlocked area located in the province of Leinster in the South East of Ireland "where they were chiefs of Fotharta Feadha, now the barony of 'Forth.' From Eochaidh Fionn-Fohart descended O'Nowlan or Nolan or Fowerty (or Foharta), in Lease (or Leix.) " 4

Early History of the Nowlin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nowlin research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1784, 1793, 1796, 1803, 1804, 1811, 1832, 1837 and 1864 are included under the topic Early Nowlin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nowlin Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Nowlin family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Nolan, O'Nolan, Nowlan, O'Nowlan, O'Nowland, Knowlan, Noland and many more.

Early Notables of the Nowlin family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Rev. Edward Nolan (1793-1837) , Bishop of Kildare. He was born in Tullow, Co. Carlow in 1793. He was educated at Carlow College from 1804 until 1811 when he went to Maynooth College.Frederick Nolan (1784-1864), the Irish divine was born at Old Rathmines Castle, co. Dublin, the seat of his grandfather, on 9 Feb. 1784 and was third son of Edward Nolan of St. Peter's, Dublin, by his...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nowlin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nowlin Ranking

In the United States, the name Nowlin is the 4,192nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5


Nowlin migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Nowlin family in North America:

Nowlin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Nowlin, aged 31, who arrived in Maine in 1812 6
  • Christopher Nowlin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 6
  • William Nowlin, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1831 6
  • Dennis Nowlin, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1846 6
  • Kate Nowlin, aged 19, who landed in America from Cork, in 1893
Nowlin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Herman Nowlin, aged 19, who immigrated to America, in 1919
  • Mabel Ruth Nowlin, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1921
  • Lucia S. P. Nowlin, aged 58, who immigrated to the United States, in 1922
  • Warren Nowlin, aged 24, who settled in America, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Nowlin (post 1700) +

  • Charles Nowlin (b. 1962), American professional football player
  • Kiara Nowlin (b. 1995), American gymnast, World Champion Power Tumbler and Nationally Ranked Cheerleader
  • James Robertson Nowlin (b. 1937), United States federal judge
  • Rickey L. "Rick" Nowlin (b. 1948), American Natchitoches engineer and businessman
  • Vaughn Nowlin, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1972 7
  • T. W. Nowlin, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1912 7
  • A. E. Nowlin, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1896 7


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  4. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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