2000
#7,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,942
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Mullens
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Maoláin, meaning "descendant of Maolán," a personal name derived from "maol," meaning "bald" or "devotee."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,567 Americans carry the last name Mullens. That puts it at #7,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mullens 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 Mullens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 75,050
Census rank
#7,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,983 bearers of the surname Mullens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullens, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mullens
The surname Mullens is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic personal name Muiris, a diminutive form of the name Muireadhaigh. This name ultimately derives from the Old Irish muir, meaning "sea."
The Mullens surname is thought to have originated in County Kerry, located in the southwest of Ireland. It is believed to have emerged as a hereditary surname in the 11th or 12th century, as Irish families began adopting surnames based on personal names or characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mullens surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1172, a member of the Mullens family is mentioned as having participated in a battle against the Norman invaders.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Mullens family held lands in County Kerry and County Cork. They were among the many Irish families who faced persecution and dispossession during the Tudor and Cromwellian conquests of Ireland.
Notable individuals bearing the Mullens surname throughout history include Dermot Mullens (c. 1550-1630), a renowned Irish priest and scholar who authored several works on Irish history and language. Another notable figure was John Mullens (1667-1721), an Irish-born soldier who fought in the Williamite War and later served as a member of the British Parliament.
In the 18th century, Patrick Mullens (1738-1811) was a prominent Irish-American merchant and landowner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War, providing supplies and financial support to the Continental Army.
Other notable figures include Mary Mullens (1820-1892), an Irish-American labor activist and one of the founders of the Knights of Labor, a prominent labor union in the late 19th century. In the field of literature, Patrick Mullens (1862-1928) was an Irish poet and journalist known for his works celebrating Irish culture and heritage.
The Mullens surname has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as Mullen, Mullin, and Mullins, reflecting regional variations and scribal practices of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mullens
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullens, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mullens 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 Mullens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 3,325
- Black or African American7.1% · 281
- Two or more races4.4% · 174
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 133
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mullens
Mullens 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
#7,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,210
+268 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#7,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,983
-227 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,772 | 3,942 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,859 | 4,210 | 1.43 | +268 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #7,974 | 3,983 | 1.33 | -227 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 115 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 Mullens 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 | #7,859 | #7,974 | -1.5% |
| Count | 4,210 | 3,983 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.33 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mullens bearers went from 4,210 to 3,983 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,859 to #7,974.
FAQ
Mullens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mullens?
Name Census estimates that about 4,567 living Americans carry the surname Mullens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,050 residents.
How common is Mullens?
Mullens ranks #7,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,983 people with the surname Mullens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,567), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Mullens.
Has Mullens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mullens went from 4,210 recorded bearers to 3,983. That is a decrease of 227 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,859 to #7,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Mullens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullens, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mullens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (3,325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mullens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mullens (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 Mullens mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Maoláin, meaning "descendant of Maolán," a personal name derived from "maol," meaning "bald" or "devotee." 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 Mullens (1.33 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 share the surname Mullens?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.