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

Mullaney, 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 Mullaney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mullaney in America

Mullaney is the 7803rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mullaney surname appeared 4,241 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mullaney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mullaney 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 Mullaney

The surname Mullaney has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Ó Maoildhúnaidh, which translates to "descendant of the tonsured servant of God." The name is believed to have originated in County Mayo, where it was first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mullaney can be found in the Annals of Ulster from the year 1335, which mentions a Donnchadh Ó Maoildhúnaidh. The name also appears in various other historical records and manuscripts from medieval Ireland, such as the Annals of Connacht and the Annals of Loch Cé.

The Mullaney name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Mullany, Mullanye, Mulleny, and Mulleney. These variations are often attributed to the English translation of the original Gaelic name, as well as the influence of regional dialects and scribal errors.

Notable individuals with the surname Mullaney include:

1. Thomas Mullaney (1882-1968), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Covington, Kentucky, from 1944 to 1959.
2. John Mullaney (1876-1947), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who served as the President of the University of Detroit from 1918 to 1939.
3. Edward Mullaney (1885-1964), an American actor and film director who worked in Hollywood during the silent film era.
4. James Mullaney (1944-1999), an American astronomer and author known for his contributions to the study of variable stars and deep-sky objects.
5. Brian Mullaney (born 1934), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Paychex Corporation, a leading payroll and human resource services company.

While the Mullaney name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to immigration patterns over the centuries. The name has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Mullaney, a townland in County Mayo.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mullaney

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

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

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

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