| ![Show Contents]() Whelen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of WhelenWhat does the name Whelen mean? Many variations of the name Whelen 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 Whelen familyThe surname Whelen 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 Whelen familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whelen research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1658 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Whelen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Whelen Spelling VariationsMany spelling variations of the surname Whelen can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Phelan, O'Phelan, Whelan, O'Failin, Phalen, Phalon, Phaelan and many more. Early Notables of the Whelen familyAnother 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whelen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Whelen migration to the United States | + |
A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Whelen name:
Whelen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Michael Whelen, who landed in New York in 1824 3
- Dennis Whelen, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3
- Patrick Whelen, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1842 3
- 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)
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