2000
#5,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,695
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Mulkey
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Maolchathaigh," meaning "descendant of a follower of St. Cathach."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,252 Americans carry the last name Mulkey. That puts it at #6,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulkey 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.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,823
Census rank
#6,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,452 bearers of the surname Mulkey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mulkey
The surname Mulkey is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "mul" meaning "mule" and "key" meaning "quay" or "wharf." It likely originated as a locational name for someone residing near a wharf or landing place where mules were used to transport goods.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, where a Robert Mulkey was listed as a freeman of the county. The name also appears in various spellings such as Mulki, Mulky, and Mulkie in other medieval records across England.
During the 16th century, the surname Mulkey was prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in East Anglia. Notable individuals from this period include John Mulkey (c. 1525-1590), a merchant and landowner in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
As the name spread throughout England, it became associated with several place names, such as Mulkey Green in Lancashire and Mulkey Hill in Shropshire. These locations likely derived their names from early Mulkey inhabitants or landowners.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, several Mulkeys made their mark in various fields. William Mulkey (1628-1701) was a renowned clockmaker in London, while Thomas Mulkey (1675-1738) served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1725.
The name also found its way to the American colonies, with records indicating that a family of Mulkeys settled in Virginia in the late 17th century. One of the earliest documented Mulkeys in America was John Mulkey (1696-1768), a farmer and landowner in Goochland County, Virginia.
Another notable individual was Reverend Jonathan Mulkey (1750-1824), a Baptist minister and pioneer who played a significant role in establishing churches in Tennessee and Kentucky during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the 19th century, the Mulkey surname was well-established in various parts of the United States, particularly in the southern states. One prominent figure was Isaac Newton Mulkey (1823-1901), a lawyer and Confederate soldier from Mississippi who served as a judge and state legislator after the Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulkey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulkey 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 Mulkey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 4,618
- Black or African American7.8% · 424
- Two or more races4.1% · 225
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulkey
Mulkey 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
#5,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,061
+366 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#6,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,452
-609 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 326 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,593 | 5,695 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,724 | 6,061 | 2.05 | +366 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #6,050 | 5,452 | 1.82 | -609 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 326 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 Mulkey 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 | #5,724 | #6,050 | -5.7% |
| Count | 6,061 | 5,452 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.82 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulkey bearers went from 6,061 to 5,452 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 326 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,724 to #6,050.
FAQ
Mulkey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulkey?
Name Census estimates that about 6,252 living Americans carry the surname Mulkey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,823 residents.
How common is Mulkey?
Mulkey ranks #6,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 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 5,452 people with the surname Mulkey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 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 Mulkey.
Has Mulkey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulkey went from 6,061 recorded bearers to 5,452. That is a decrease of 609 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,724 to #6,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulkey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mulkey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (4,618 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulkey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mulkey (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 Mulkey mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Maolchathaigh," meaning "descendant of a follower of St. Cathach." 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 Mulkey (1.82 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 Mulkey?
You can see how many people have the surname Mulkey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.