Find out how popular the last name Moylan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Moylan.

Moylan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Moylan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moylan in America

Moylan is the 12055th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moylan surname appeared 2,587 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Moylan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moylan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Moylan

The surname Moylan is of Irish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic word "Maoilín," which means "little bald one" or "little tonsured one." This name was commonly given to men who had taken monastic vows or had shaved heads.

The Moylan family is believed to have originated in County Cork, Ireland, where they were prominent landowners and chieftains. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of Irish history written in the late 12th century, which mentions a "Maolán" who was the Bishop of Cork in the year 1092.

In the 14th century, the Moylan name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of County Cork, which were medieval tax records. These rolls listed several individuals with variations of the name, such as Moylan, Moylane, and Meylan, indicating the surname's evolution over time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Moylan family played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars and the Williamite War in Ireland. One notable figure was Stephen Moylan (1737-1811), an Irish-born officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He served as a Muster-Master General and Aide-de-Camp to General George Washington.

Another prominent individual with the Moylan surname was Martin Moylan (1718-1799), an Irish merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1786. He was also a member of the Irish Parliament and a prominent supporter of Catholic Emancipation.

In the 19th century, the Moylan name gained further recognition with John Moylan (1828-1892), an Irish-born Catholic prelate who served as the second Bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania, from 1868 until his death.

Other notable figures with the Moylan surname include Richard Moylan (1856-1905), an Irish-American architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, and Michael Moylan (1855-1922), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the President of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers.

While the Moylan name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to Irish immigration over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moylan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Moylan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Moylan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Moylan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Moylan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Moylan, please contact us.

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