I think Drew mentioned that Scanlon is a Irish name but being in Ireland I dont think I have ever heard the name once.
I guess it sounds Northern Irish. Maybe Scottish? In my head I can I hear Sean Connery saying in.
Originally recorded in many spellings including Mac Scanlon, O' Scanlon, O' Scannill, O' Scanlan, but now more usually as Scanlon, and more rarely Scannell, Scanlan, Scanlin, and possibly others, this is an ancient Irish surname. It derives from the Gaelic pre 10th century personal 'Scanlain' which translates literally as 'The contentious one'.
How fitting