2000
#5,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.28
Rare Last name
Mulholland
A toponymic surname of Irish origin, derived from a place name meaning "the hill of the holly bush."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,922 Americans carry the last name Mulholland. That puts it at #5,559 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,517 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulholland 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 Mulholland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,517
Census rank
#5,559
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,036 bearers of the surname Mulholland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5559th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulholland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulholland
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulholland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulholland 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 Mulholland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 5,481
- Two or more races3.4% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 190
- Black or African American1.3% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulholland
Mulholland 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
#5,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,353
+202 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#5,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,036
-317 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,216 | 6,151 | 2.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,474 | 6,353 | 2.15 | +202 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #5,559 | 6,036 | 2.02 | -317 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 85 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 Mulholland 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 | #5,474 | #5,559 | -1.6% |
| Count | 6,353 | 6,036 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.02 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulholland bearers went from 6,353 to 6,036 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,474 to #5,559.
FAQ
Mulholland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulholland?
Name Census estimates that about 6,922 living Americans carry the surname Mulholland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,517 residents.
How common is Mulholland?
Mulholland ranks #5,559 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,036 people with the surname Mulholland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,922), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mulholland.
Has Mulholland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulholland went from 6,353 recorded bearers to 6,036. That is a decrease of 317 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,474 to #5,559.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulholland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulholland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Mulholland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (5,481 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulholland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Mulholland (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 Mulholland mean?
A toponymic surname of Irish origin, derived from a place name meaning "the hill of the holly bush." 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 Mulholland (2.02 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 Americans have the surname Mulholland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.