2000
#6,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,017
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.86
Rare Last name
Mcmullin
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 5,753 Americans carry the last name Mcmullin. That puts it at #6,504 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,578 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmullin 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 Mcmullin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,578
Census rank
#6,504
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,017 bearers of the surname Mcmullin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6504th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmullin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcmullin
The surname McMullin is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Mac Maolín," which means "son of the devotee." The name is derived from the Irish word "maol," meaning "bald" or "tonsured," and "ín," a diminutive suffix, indicating a small or young person.
The McMullin surname is predominantly found in the northern counties of Ireland, particularly in counties Antrim, Derry, and Tyrone. It is believed that the name originated in these areas, where it was first recorded in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, a collection of records from the Irish Chancery Rolls dating back to the 16th century. In these records, the name is spelled as "McMullen" and "McMollen."
In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical documents, including the Muster Rolls of the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653) and the Hearth Money Rolls of County Antrim (1663-1666). These records provide valuable insights into the geographical distribution and variations in the spelling of the name during this period.
Notable individuals with the surname McMullin throughout history include:
1. John McMullin (1828-1909), an Irish-born American politician who served as the 11th Governor of Nebraska from 1885 to 1887.
2. James McMullin (1787-1853), an Irish-born American soldier and politician who fought in the War of 1812 and later served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
3. Robert McMullin (1892-1974), an Irish-born American prelate who served as the Bishop of Covington, Kentucky, from 1944 to 1965.
4. William McMullin (1785-1867), an Irish-born American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent businessman and landowner in Pennsylvania.
5. Evan P. McMullin (born 1976), an American politician and former CIA operations officer who ran as an independent candidate in the 2016 United States presidential election.
The McMullin surname has a rich history that can be traced back to its Irish roots, with various spellings and geographical distributions over the centuries. Despite its relatively small population, the name has produced notable figures in various fields, including politics, military, and religion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmullin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmullin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmullin 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 Mcmullin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 4,350
- Black or African American4.5% · 226
- Two or more races4.1% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmullin
Mcmullin 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
#6,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,119
+102 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 355 places
2020
#6,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,017
-102 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,261 | 5,017 | 1.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,616 | 5,119 | 1.74 | +102 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 355 places |
| 2020 | #6,504 | 5,017 | 1.68 | -102 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 112 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 Mcmullin 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 | #6,616 | #6,504 | 1.7% |
| Count | 5,119 | 5,017 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.68 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmullin bearers went from 5,119 to 5,017 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,616 to #6,504.
FAQ
Mcmullin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmullin?
Name Census estimates that about 5,753 living Americans carry the surname Mcmullin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,578 residents.
How common is Mcmullin?
Mcmullin ranks #6,504 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,017 people with the surname Mcmullin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,753), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mcmullin.
Has Mcmullin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmullin went from 5,119 recorded bearers to 5,017. That is a decrease of 102 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,616 to #6,504.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmullin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmullin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mcmullin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (4,350 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmullin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Black (4.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mcmullin (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 Mcmullin 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 Mcmullin (1.68 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 Mcmullin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Mcmullin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.