2000
#7,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Mullaney
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Maoil Eanaigh, meaning "descendant of a devotee of Saint Eanach."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,497 Americans carry the last name Mullaney. That puts it at #8,090 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,218 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mullaney 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 Mullaney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,218
Census rank
#8,090
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,922 bearers of the surname Mullaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8090th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mullaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mullaney 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 Mullaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,608
- Two or more races3.3% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 49
- Black or African American0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mullaney
Mullaney 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
#7,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,241
+67 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 449 places
2020
#8,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,922
-319 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,354 | 4,174 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,803 | 4,241 | 1.44 | +67 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 449 places |
| 2020 | #8,090 | 3,922 | 1.31 | -319 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 287 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 Mullaney 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 | #7,803 | #8,090 | -3.7% |
| Count | 4,241 | 3,922 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.31 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mullaney bearers went from 4,241 to 3,922 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 287 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,803 to #8,090.
FAQ
Mullaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mullaney?
Name Census estimates that about 4,497 living Americans carry the surname Mullaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,218 residents.
How common is Mullaney?
Mullaney ranks #8,090 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,922 people with the surname Mullaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,497), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Mullaney.
Has Mullaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mullaney went from 4,241 recorded bearers to 3,922. That is a decrease of 319 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,803 to #8,090.
What does the Census say about the background of Mullaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Mullaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mullaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Mullaney (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 Mullaney mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Maoil Eanaigh, meaning "descendant of a devotee of Saint Eanach." 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 Mullaney (1.31 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 are called Mullaney?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Mullaney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.