2000
#11,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,484
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Mcmullan
Son of the bald or tonsured man, derived from the Gaelic "Maolán" meaning bald or tonsured.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,080 Americans carry the last name Mcmullan. That puts it at #11,250 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmullan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mcmullan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,284
Census rank
#11,250
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,686 bearers of the surname Mcmullan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11250th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmullan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcmullan
The surname McMullan is of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Mulán. This name is thought to have originated from the word mul, meaning "summit" or "hilltop." The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of," indicating that this surname initially referred to a son of someone named Mulán.
The earliest recorded instances of the McMullan surname can be traced back to the 16th century in Scotland and Ireland. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was John McMullan, who was recorded in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of Scottish feudal documents that recorded acts of homage to King Edward I of England.
In Ireland, the McMullan surname was particularly prominent in counties Antrim and Down, where they were part of the Gallowglass, an elite group of Scottish and Irish mercenary warriors. The name is also associated with the Scottish Clan MacMillan, which held lands in Argyll and the Hebrides.
Notable individuals with the surname McMullan include Sir Pertab Singh McMullan (1837-1913), an Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the Dewan of Patiala State. Another notable figure was John McMullan (1828-1879), an Irish-American journalist and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.
In the realm of literature, Gregor McMullan (1895-1971) was a Scottish poet and novelist known for his works depicting life in the Highlands. Additionally, Frank McMullan (1909-1962) was an American writer and screenwriter who worked on films such as "The Incredible Shrinking Man" and "The Fly."
The McMullan surname has also been associated with several places, such as McMullan's Cross in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, which is believed to have been named after a local family. Similarly, McMullan's Townland in County Down, Ireland, likely derives its name from the same source.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmullan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmullan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmullan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mcmullan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 2,318
- Black or African American5.8% · 157
- Two or more races4.0% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmullan
Mcmullan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,615
+131 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 359 places
2020
#11,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,686
+71 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 704 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,595 | 2,484 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,954 | 2,615 | 0.89 | +131 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 359 places |
| 2020 | #11,250 | 2,686 | 0.90 | +71 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 704 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mcmullan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,954 | #11,250 | 5.9% |
| Count | 2,615 | 2,686 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.90 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmullan bearers went from 2,615 to 2,686 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 704 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,954 to #11,250.
FAQ
Mcmullan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmullan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,080 living Americans carry the surname Mcmullan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,284 residents.
How common is Mcmullan?
Mcmullan ranks #11,250 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,686 people with the surname Mcmullan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,080), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcmullan.
Has Mcmullan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmullan went from 2,615 recorded bearers to 2,686. That is an increase of 71 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,954 to #11,250.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmullan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmullan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcmullan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (2,318 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmullan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (5.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mcmullan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mcmullan mean?
Son of the bald or tonsured man, derived from the Gaelic "Maolán" meaning bald or tonsured. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mcmullan (0.90 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Mcmullan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mcmullan is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.