2000
#867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,442
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.51
Uncommon Last name
Mullen
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoláin, meaning "descendant of the devotee of Saint John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 40,667 Americans carry the last name Mullen. That puts it at #971 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,428 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mullen 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 Mullen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
41K
1 in 8,428
Census rank
#971
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,464 bearers of the surname Mullen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 971st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullen, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mullen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullen, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mullen 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 Mullen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 30,228
- Black or African American6.7% · 2,367
- Two or more races3.6% · 1,261
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 296
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 193
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mullen
Mullen 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
#928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,502
+1,060 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 12.71
Rank movement Down 61 places
2020
#971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,464
-2,038 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 11.86
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #867 | 36,442 | 13.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #928 | 37,502 | 12.71 | +1,060 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 61 places |
| 2020 | #971 | 35,464 | 11.86 | -2,038 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 43 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 Mullen 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 | #928 | #971 | -4.6% |
| Count | 37,502 | 35,464 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 12.71 | 11.86 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mullen bearers went from 37,502 to 35,464 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #928 to #971.
FAQ
Mullen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mullen?
Name Census estimates that about 40,667 living Americans carry the surname Mullen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,428 residents.
How common is Mullen?
Mullen ranks #971 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,464 people with the surname Mullen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (40,667), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Mullen.
Has Mullen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mullen went from 37,502 recorded bearers to 35,464. That is a decrease of 2,038 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #928 to #971.
What does the Census say about the background of Mullen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullen, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mullen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (30,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mullen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mullen (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 Mullen mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoláin, meaning "descendant of the devotee of Saint John." 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 Mullen (11.86 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 Mullen?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Mullen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.