2000
#15,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,784
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Mulhall
An Irish surname meaning "summit of the hill" or "summit dweller".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,985 Americans carry the last name Mulhall. That puts it at #16,180 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 172,672 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulhall 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 Mulhall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 172,672
Census rank
#16,180
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,731 bearers of the surname Mulhall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16180th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhall, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mulhall
The surname Mulhall originated in Ireland during medieval times. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Maolchallann, meaning "descendant of Maolchallann," a personal name composed of the Gaelic elements "maol" meaning "bald" and "callann" meaning "chalice" or "vessel."
The Ó Maolchallann family was primarily located in County Kildare, where they were part of the ancient Irish dynasty known as the Uí Faelain. This clan held significant power and influence in the region during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, an ancient Gaelic manuscript compiled in the 17th century. The annals reference several members of the Ó Maolchallann family, including Aongus Ó Maolchallann, who is mentioned in an entry for the year 1140.
As the name evolved over time, various spellings emerged, including Mullholland, Mulholland, and Mulhallen, before eventually settling on the modern form, Mulhall. The name's transition to its Anglicized form likely occurred during the 16th and 17th centuries, when English influence and administration increased in Ireland.
Notable individuals with the surname Mulhall throughout history include:
1. Thomas Mulhall (c. 1775-1846), an Irish-born merchant and landowner in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2. Michael G. Mulhall (1836-1900), an Irish-Argentine statistician and author of several works on South American economics and demographics.
3. John Mulhall (1880-1954), an Irish-American actor and playwright known for his work on Broadway and in Hollywood films.
4. Sister Michael Mulhall (1910-1998), an Irish nun and educator who served as the President of Trinity College in Washington, D.C.
5. Brendan Mulhall (1947-2022), an Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer who played for the Kilkenny senior teams in both sports.
The surname Mulhall has a rich history rooted in medieval Ireland, reflecting the cultural significance of the Uí Faelain clan and the linguistic evolution of Irish names during the era of English colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulhall
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhall, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulhall 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 Mulhall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,606
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 75
- Two or more races1.8% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulhall
Mulhall 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
#16,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,742
-42 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 1,327 places
2020
#16,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,731
-11 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 314 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,167 | 1,784 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,494 | 1,742 | 0.59 | -42 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 1,327 places |
| 2020 | #16,180 | 1,731 | 0.58 | -11 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 314 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 Mulhall 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 | #16,494 | #16,180 | 1.9% |
| Count | 1,742 | 1,731 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.58 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulhall bearers went from 1,742 to 1,731 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 314 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,494 to #16,180.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mulhall
FAQ
Mulhall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulhall?
Name Census estimates that about 1,985 living Americans carry the surname Mulhall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 172,672 residents.
How common is Mulhall?
Mulhall ranks #16,180 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,731 people with the surname Mulhall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,985), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Mulhall.
Has Mulhall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulhall went from 1,742 recorded bearers to 1,731. That is a decrease of 11 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,494 to #16,180.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulhall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhall, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Mulhall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,606 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulhall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Mulhall (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 Mulhall mean?
An Irish surname meaning "summit of the hill" or "summit dweller". 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 Mulhall (0.58 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 Mulhall?
You can see how many people have the last name Mulhall on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.