2000
#22,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,075
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Mollohan
Irish Gaelic surname originally meaning "descendant of a monk-like person".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,279 Americans carry the last name Mollohan. That puts it at #23,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 267,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mollohan 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.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 267,986
Census rank
#23,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,115 bearers of the surname Mollohan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mollohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mollohan
The surname Mollohan is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic words "moll" meaning "bald" and "ógán" meaning "young man." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for a young bald man.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Mollohan surname can be found in the "Annals of the Four Masters," a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The name appears in entries dating back to the late 1500s, indicating its presence in Ireland at that time.
The Mollohan name has undergone several spelling variations over the centuries, including Mullohan, Mulloughan, Molloghan, and Mollaughan. These variations reflect the challenges of transliterating Gaelic names into English orthography.
In the late 17th century, the Mollohan family is known to have settled in the townland of Ballymullough, County Antrim. This place name, which means "the town of the bald people," further reinforces the connection between the surname and the Gaelic words from which it is derived.
One of the earliest recorded Mollohans was Patrick Mollohan, born around 1650 in County Antrim. He was a farmer and landowner in the area and had several children who carried on the family name.
Another notable figure in Mollohan history was Terence Mollohan, born in 1786 in County Antrim. He was a prominent merchant and businessman who played a significant role in the economic development of the region.
In the 19th century, the Mollohan surname spread across the Irish diaspora, with many families emigrating to England, Scotland, and the United States. One such individual was Michael Mollohan, born in 1832 in County Antrim, who later settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a coal miner.
One of the most famous Mollohans in recent history was Alan Mollohan, born in 1943 in West Virginia, USA. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing West Virginia's 1st congressional district from 1983 to 2011.
Another noteworthy Mollohan was James Mollohan, born in 1865 in County Antrim. He was a prominent scholar and historian who wrote extensively on the history and culture of Northern Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mollohan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mollohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mollohan 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 Mollohan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,028
- Two or more races4.2% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mollohan
Mollohan 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
#22,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,120
+45 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 504 places
2020
#23,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,115
-5 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 643 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,352 | 1,075 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,856 | 1,120 | 0.38 | +45 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 504 places |
| 2020 | #23,499 | 1,115 | 0.37 | -5 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 643 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 Mollohan 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 | #22,856 | #23,499 | -2.8% |
| Count | 1,120 | 1,115 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.37 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mollohan bearers went from 1,120 to 1,115 (-0.4% change). The surname moved down 643 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,856 to #23,499.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mollohan
FAQ
Mollohan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mollohan?
Name Census estimates that about 1,279 living Americans carry the surname Mollohan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 267,986 residents.
How common is Mollohan?
Mollohan ranks #23,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,115 people with the surname Mollohan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mollohan.
Has Mollohan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mollohan went from 1,120 recorded bearers to 1,115. That is a decrease of 5 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,856 to #23,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Mollohan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mollohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Mollohan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mollohan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Mollohan (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 Mollohan mean?
Irish Gaelic surname originally meaning "descendant of a monk-like person". 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 Mollohan (0.37 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 many people share the surname Mollohan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.