2000
#9,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,088
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Mulhern
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Maoilchiaráin," meaning "descendant of the devotee of Saint Ciarán."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,384 Americans carry the last name Mulhern. That puts it at #10,384 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,287 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulhern 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 Mulhern with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,287
Census rank
#10,384
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,951 bearers of the surname Mulhern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10384th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhern, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mulhern
The surname Mulhern originated in Ireland during the Middle Ages. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Maolchairn, which means "descendant of the devotee of St. Cairn." The name is rooted in the Irish language and culture, with Cairn being the name of an Irish saint.
The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries in County Sligo, Ireland. The Mulhern family was prominent in this region, and the name appears in various historical documents and records from that time period.
One notable historical reference is the inclusion of the name in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The Annals mention several individuals with the surname Mulhern, indicating their involvement in various events and conflicts during that era.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Mulhern surname began to spread beyond County Sligo as families migrated to other parts of Ireland and eventually to other countries. Some variations in spelling, such as Mulhearn and Mulheran, emerged during this time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Mulhern. One example is John Mulhern (1834-1905), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York in the late 19th century.
Another prominent figure is Brendan Mulhern (1910-1987), an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the County Sligo team in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a key member of the team that won the Connacht Senior Football Championship in 1946.
In the literary world, Kathleen Mulhern (1915-2006) was an American author and poet known for her works exploring themes of nature, spirituality, and the human experience. Her poetry collections include "The Deer on the Altar" and "Passage to Avalon."
James Mulhern (1844-1925) was an Irish-born Australian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia in the late 19th century.
Finally, Michael Mulhern (1935-2020) was an Irish hurler who played for the Galway senior hurling team in the 1950s and 1960s. He won an All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship medal with Galway in 1958.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulhern
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhern, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulhern 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 Mulhern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,754
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 118
- Two or more races1.9% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulhern
Mulhern 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
#10,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,138
+50 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 618 places
2020
#10,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,951
-187 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,656 | 3,088 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,274 | 3,138 | 1.06 | +50 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 618 places |
| 2020 | #10,384 | 2,951 | 0.99 | -187 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 110 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 Mulhern 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 | #10,274 | #10,384 | -1.1% |
| Count | 3,138 | 2,951 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.99 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulhern bearers went from 3,138 to 2,951 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,274 to #10,384.
FAQ
Mulhern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulhern?
Name Census estimates that about 3,384 living Americans carry the surname Mulhern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,287 residents.
How common is Mulhern?
Mulhern ranks #10,384 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,951 people with the surname Mulhern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,384), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Mulhern.
Has Mulhern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulhern went from 3,138 recorded bearers to 2,951. That is a decrease of 187 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,274 to #10,384.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulhern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhern, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Mulhern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,754 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulhern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Mulhern (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 Mulhern mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Maoilchiaráin," meaning "descendant of the devotee of Saint Ciarán." 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 Mulhern (0.99 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 have the last name Mulhern?
If you just want to know how common the surname Mulhern is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.