Phelan

Phelan is a male given name , although it is more common as a surname . Phelan is particularly common these days in the United States.

Origin and meaning of the name

The name Phelan , pronounced [: philen], [: philan] and [: felan], is originally of Indo-European origin, whereby the forms derived from 2009 mostly refer to the much younger Celtic (Irish / Gaelic) word roots. Its meaning is in the mainland Celtic "wolf", in the Irish-Celtic area "little wolf". With the latter translation variant you have to take into account that not the original Celtic , but the Irish “Faolán” is used. Since the suffix “án” in Irish has a diminution of meaning with it, it is logical to translate “little wolf”.

Both translation variants are derived from the Celtic term faol . The pronunciation variant [: felan] can be found in the settlement regions of the Celtic tribes of Mediomatrics and Treveri , i.e. in the area between Metz and Trier , where the influences of the Terveri, who in turn were subject to the influences of the Germanic language neighbors, had a stronger effect and u. a. after Lubotsky led to the final sound hardening, as well as in the settlement area that is today English.

The term “faol”, originally from Indo-European , is translated as “wild” when used in adjectives and as a subject as “wolf”. As a compound it can be found u. a. in “faolchú”, the “wild dog”. Here refers wild on the meaning of "free" and thus refers to the non-domestic representatives. The term is therefore to be understood as meaningless.

That the phelan | faolán does not represent a “little wolf” in Indo-European can be seen from the Indo-European diminutive suffixes * -ko- and * -lo-, which would have led to [: f -a / e / il - ul]. For this type of education, according to Dr. Balles, to use the ending suffix * / - ém / (also * / - én /), a dominant accented suffix, which stands for the noun phrase and would lead to the translation "like a wolf". In this case, it is a characterization or, more neutrally formulated, description type.

name day

April 24th

Name bearer

First name

Phelan Porteous (* 1983), Canadian Internet film critic

family name

Adam Phelan (* 1991), Australian racing cyclist
Anna Hamilton Phelan , American actress and screenwriter
Brittany Phelan (* 1991), Canadian freestyle skier and ski racer
Donna Phelan (* 1972), Canadian triathlete
Edward Phelan (1888-1967), Director General of the International Labor Organization (1941-1948)
James Phelan (1821–1873), American politician
James Phelan junior (1856-1891), American politician
James D. Phelan (1861–1930), American politician and banker
Joe Phelan , American basketball player
John Paul Phelan (* 1978), Irish politician
Kieran Phelan (1949-2010), Irish politician
Michael Phelan (billiards player) (1817–1871), American billiards player and entrepreneur
Michael Phelan (cyclist) (* 1991), American cyclist
Michael Francis Phelan (1875–1941), American politician
Mike Phelan ( Michael Christopher Phelan ; born 1962), English football player
Nicky Phelan , Irish animator
Rod Phelan (around 1910– ??), Canadian badminton player
Shawn Phelan (1975–1998), American actor and musician
Terry Phelan (* 1967), Irish football player
Twist Phelan , American author

Other uses of the name

Phelan, city in California
Mount Phelan , mountain in Victoria Land, Antarctica

variants

Faolan, Felan, Fallon
A typical representative of the 1st variant of the Anglicised form of the Irish Faolán is: Faelan (Anglicised forms).
A typical representative of the 2nd variant of the Anglicized form of the Irish Faolán is: Whelan [: hwiːlən].

Individual evidence

Lecture script "Celtic terms in the German language", Prof. Demske, Saarland University, 2005.
Archives for Celtic Lexicography, Volume 1. M. Niemeyer, 1900. University of Michigan.
Lexicon comparativum linguarum Indogermanicarum, Lorenz Diefenbach. 1851.