Nolan

An anglicization of the Irish Ó Nualláin, a surname from the Gaelic nuall meaning chariot-fighter, or possibly noble, depending on which Celtic scholar you ask. Nolan Ryan threw fastballs past hitters for twenty-seven seasons, and Christopher Nolan has made the last name a kind of cinematic adjective, signaling time-folding ambition. As a first name it is an American phenomenon, rising steadily through the 2000s with the broader wave of Irish surnames turned baby names. It currently ranks 64 and is given to about one in 351 boys. Two clean syllables, a little Celtic grit in the middle, and no second-guessing on the spelling.