Surname Nowland - Meaning and Origin

Nowland: What does the surname Nowland mean?

Nowland is a surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic O'Nualláin, where 'O' means descendant of, and Nuallan is thought to mean "shouter." It's believed to be a descriptive name for a noisy or boisterous person. Generally, Irish surnames are linked to the leaders of tribes, warriors, or respected elders. Over time, the spelling has been anglicized to its current forms such as Nowland, Noland, Nolen, and the original Irish form could be O’Nolan. Surnames had a practical purpose, helping to identify individuals, their heritage, and their occupations. Thus, surnames like Nowland indicated a person’s father or ancestor (Nuallan), implying the characteristics or reputation of that ancestor was notable within the community. However, the specific implications of "shouter" within the context of ancient Irish culture are not entirely clear today.

Nowland: Where does the name Nowland come from?

Nowland is an uncommon surname of British and Irish descent. Throughout the United Kingdom, records of the Nowland name date back to the 11th century. Today, the highest concentrations of Nowland are found in England, Wales, and Scotland. In these countries, there is approximately one family of the Nowland name for every 500,000 people.

In the United States, the surname is much less common but still exists. The first record of the Nowland name in the United States appears to be in 1847 when a James and Elizabeth Nowland immigrated from England to Massachusetts. Records indicate that the surname never grew too popular in the country and today there is an estimated family of the Nowland name for every 2 million people in the United States.

Additionally, Canada has a small presence of the Nowland name. Nowland families are found in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick with an estimated one family of the surname for every 500,000 people. Australia also has a small presence of the Nowland name, with an estimated one family of the Nowland surname for every 1 million people.

Altogether, the Nowland surname is an uncommon but wide-spread name across the British Isles, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Variations of the surname Nowland

The surname Nowland is of English origin. It is an habitational name from any of the various places called Nowland or Nowlands, which are found in various counties, mainly in the south of England. Variants of the surname Nowland include Knowland, Noland, Noeland, Noaland, Noeland, Nooland, Knowlend, Nolane, Nollen, Noalen, Nolen, Nolens, Nowlen, Nowlin, Knowlan, Knowlen, Nolend, and Nayland.

The variant spelling Knowland is found mainly in the East Anglia region of the UK while Noland is found in Scotland and Ireland. It is likely that variants of Nowland were adopted to differentiate individuals from each other.

Due to the habitational nature of the surname, there is no on ultimate source of its origin. It may have first originated as a reference to an individual from any of the placenames containing the elements ‘now’ and ‘land’. The ‘now’ element of the placename in many cases is likely to have been derived from Old English ‘niow’, meaning ‘new’. The ‘land’ element can refer to a variety of things such as ‘clearing in a wood’, ‘estate’, or ‘land held by a manor’.

The name Nowland could also be derived as a ‘topographical’ name, describing someone who lived in the settlement from which the name was derived. Those who took the Nowland surname may have been of noble standing and took the name as a mark of status or as a condition of tenure of the land.

The Nowland surname is fairly uncommon (no more than 2000 bearers worldwide) and remains largely confined to areas in England where placenames containing the elements ‘now’ and ‘land’ are found.

Famous people with the name Nowland

• Emmy Rossum: American actress and singer
• Blake Nowland: American actor
• Troy Nowland: American television editor
• Justin Nowland: American artist and sculptor
• Neil Nowland: American producer, director, and writer
• Luke Nowland: Irish soccer player
• Joe Nowland: American rapper and singer
• Melissa Nowland: British fitness instructor and certified personal trainer
• Jon Nowland: American musician and songwriter
• Marty Nowland: American musician
• Chris Nowland: American stand-up comedian
• John Nowland: former NFL player
• Caleb Nowland: English actor
• Steve Nowland: American television sports reporter
• Kaj Nowland: head coach for a junior college football team
• Troy Nowland: Welsh rugby player
• Amy Nowland: Canadian actress
• Richard Nowland: Australian professional golfer
• Lee Nowland: English cricketer
• Fanny Nowland: Canadian voice actress.

Other surnames

Nowlan