Etymograph

English

Phelan

Phelan comes from Irish Ó Faoláin ‘descendant of Faolán’, from faol ‘wolf’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wáy ‘oh!’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wáy‘oh!’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*waylos‘wolf’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*wailos‘wolf’reconstructed
  4. Middle Irishc. 900–1200fáel‘wolf’
  5. Irishc. 1200–presentfaol‘wolf’
  6. Irish, derivedc. 1200–presentÓ Faoláin‘descendant of Faolán’hypocoristic form of faol
  7. EnglishtodayPhelan

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wáy‘oh!’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*waylos‘wolf’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*wailos‘wolf’reconstructed
  4. Middle Irishc. 900–1200fáel‘wolf’
  5. Irishc. 1200–presentfaol‘wolf’
  6. Irish, derivedc. 1200–presentÓ Faoláin‘descendant of Faolán’hypocoristic form of faol
  7. EnglishtodayPhelan

The story

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Faoláin (‘descendant of Faolán’), a hypocoristic form of faol (‘wolf’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wáy ‘oh!’

woe, wail, ween, 1 more

Today it means

name A male given name from Irish.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wáy / Phelan

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