2000
#12,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Mullet
A surname derived from a medieval nickname for someone with a bad haircut or unkempt appearance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,910 Americans carry the last name Mullet. That puts it at #9,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mullet 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 Mullet with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 87,661
Census rank
#9,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,410 bearers of the surname Mullet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullet, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mullet
The surname Mullet is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word 'mulet,' which means a small red mullet fish. The name first appeared in the 13th century in various regions of England, particularly in the southern counties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1285, where a person named Ricardus Mulet is mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also reference a Thomas Mullet.
The name Mullet has its roots in the Old French word 'mulet,' which itself originated from the Latin word 'mullus,' meaning red mullet fish. It is believed that the surname was initially given as a nickname to someone who bore a resemblance to the fish or was associated with its trade or preparation.
In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, a person named Ailric Mulet is listed as holding lands in Suffolk. This early record suggests that the name had already established itself in England by the late 11th century.
The Mullets of Somerset, England, were a notable family who held the manor of Bathealton in the 14th century. One of the earliest known members of this family was John Mullet, who lived during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377).
Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Mullet (c. 1490-1545), a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Henry VIII. He was a prominent landowner and served as Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset in 1529.
In the 16th century, the Mullet name was also found in various spellings, such as Molet, Mollet, and Moullet, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
One of the most famous individuals bearing the Mullet surname was John Mullett (1613-1644), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis during the reign of Charles I. He was a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
Other notable figures include Sir John Mullett (c. 1610-1671), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Baron of the Exchequer, and Richard Mullett (1786-1861), an English architect known for designing several notable buildings in Bristol.
The Mullet surname has also been found in various other English-speaking countries, likely carried by immigrants from England over the centuries. It has maintained a presence across various regions and has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mullet
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullet, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mullet 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 Mullet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 3,278
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 58
- Two or more races1.1% · 38
- Black or African American0.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mullet
Mullet 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
#10,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,168
+832 bearers (+35.6%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 2,051 places
2020
#9,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,410
+242 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 993 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,231 | 2,336 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,180 | 3,168 | 1.07 | +832 bearers (+35.6%) | Up 2,051 places |
| 2020 | #9,187 | 3,410 | 1.14 | +242 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 993 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 Mullet 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 | #10,180 | #9,187 | 9.8% |
| Count | 3,168 | 3,410 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.14 | 6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mullet bearers went from 3,168 to 3,410 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 993 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,180 to #9,187.
FAQ
Mullet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mullet?
Name Census estimates that about 3,910 living Americans carry the surname Mullet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,661 residents.
How common is Mullet?
Mullet ranks #9,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,410 people with the surname Mullet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,910), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Mullet.
Has Mullet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mullet went from 3,168 recorded bearers to 3,410. That is an increase of 242 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,180 to #9,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Mullet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullet, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Mullet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (3,278 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mullet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Mullet (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 Mullet mean?
A surname derived from a medieval nickname for someone with a bad haircut or unkempt appearance. 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 Mullet (1.14 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 Mullet?
If you just want to know how many people are called Mullet, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.