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

Mullen, 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 Mullen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mullen in America

Mullen is the 928th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mullen surname appeared 37,502 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Mullen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mullen 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 Mullen

The surname Mullen has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged as an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name O'Muillain. This name is derived from the Irish word "muillenn," meaning "mill" or "miller," suggesting that the original bearers of this name were likely associated with mill-related occupations.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Mullen can be traced back to the 16th century in various Irish annals and records. One of the earliest known references is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions individuals bearing the surname Mullen in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

In the 17th century, the surname Mullen gained prominence in County Monaghan, Ireland, where it was particularly concentrated. Several notable figures with the Mullen surname emerged from this region during this period, including John Mullen (1614-1690), a prominent landowner and member of the Irish Parliament.

As the Mullen family spread throughout Ireland and beyond, various spellings of the name appeared, including Mullin, Mullan, and Millane. These variations often reflected regional dialects and scribal variations in record-keeping.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Mullen in North America can be found in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where Robert Mullen was listed as a settler in Dorchester in 1634.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Mullen, including:

1. Katharine Mullen (1855-1926), an American philanthropist and educator who founded the Katharine Mullen School for Girls in Denver, Colorado.
2. Burt L. Mullen (1915-1991), an American politician who served as the 32nd Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979.
3. Michael G. Mullen (born 1946), a retired United States Navy officer who served as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011.
4. Brendan Mullen (1949-2009), an Irish-American musician and promoter who played a significant role in the Los Angeles punk rock scene in the late 1970s.
5. Anne Mullen (born 1967), an American actress known for her roles in television series such as The Handler and The District.

The surname Mullen has a rich history rooted in Ireland, reflecting the occupations and localities of its early bearers. While its spellings may have varied over time, the name has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, leaving an indelible mark on history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mullen

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

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

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

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