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

Mulholland, 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 Mulholland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mulholland in America

Mulholland is the 5474th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mulholland surname appeared 6,353 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Mulholland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mulholland 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 Mulholland

The surname Mulholland has its origins in Ireland, deriving from the Gaelic Ó Maol Choluim, meaning "descendant of the tonsured servant of Colum." The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 12th century in the Annals of Ulster, where it appeared as Ó Mailcholuim.

Mulholland is a name closely associated with County Antrim in Northern Ireland, particularly the area around the town of Ballycastle. The name has also been historically prominent in County Down. In the 16th century, the Mulhollands were among the leading families of the McDonnell Clan, playing a significant role in the clan's feuds and conflicts.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, which mentions a Niall Ó Mailcholuim who was slain in a battle in 1333. The Mulholland name also appears in the 1659 Census of Ireland, listing several families in Counties Antrim and Down.

Notable figures bearing the Mulholland surname include:

1. Sir Samuel Mulholland (1815-1885), a prominent Belfast businessman and philanthropist, who served as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1864.

2. Hugh Mulholland (1788-1861), an Irish-born American engineer who oversaw the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct system, which brought water from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles in the early 20th century.

3. William Mulholland (1855-1935), an Irish-American engineer and the chief engineer of the Los Angeles Aqueduct project, often referred to as the "Father of the Los Angeles Water Supply System."

4. John Mulholland (1898-1970), an American magician and writer who authored several books on magic and was a technical advisor on several Hollywood films involving magic and illusions.

5. Michael Mulholland (born 1989), an Irish professional golfer who has won several tournaments on the European Tour and represented Ireland in the 2016 Olympics.

The surname Mulholland has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Mulholland, a small village in County Down, and Mulholland Townland, located in County Antrim.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mulholland

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

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 Mulholland 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 Mulholland 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 Mulholland was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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