2000
#10,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,917
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Mullikin
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maolagáin, meaning "descendant of Maolagán," a personal name meaning "little devotee."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,324 Americans carry the last name Mullikin. That puts it at #10,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,115 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mullikin 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.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,115
Census rank
#10,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,899 bearers of the surname Mullikin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullikin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mullikin
The surname MULLIKIN originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "myllen" meaning "mill" and "hycce" meaning "hitch" or "nook." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a mill in a nook or small valley.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "Mulelukyn." Similar spellings found in ancient records include Mullikyn, Mullykin, and Mullockin. These variations suggest the name was fairly widespread across different regions of England by the 13th century.
No references to the MULLIKIN surname have been found in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, but it does appear in various church records and tax rolls from the 14th century onwards. For example, a John Mullikyn is listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317.
The name may also have ties to certain place names, such as Mullingden in Derbyshire or Mullington in Oxfordshire. However, it is unclear whether these locations inspired the surname or vice versa.
Notable historical figures with the MULLIKIN surname include:
1. William Mullikin (c. 1535 - 1594), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the rector of Stanford Rivers in Essex.
2. Thomas Mullikin (1672 - 1738), a wealthy landowner and justice of the peace in Prince George's County, Maryland. He was one of the earliest settlers of the MULLIKIN name in colonial America.
3. Elizabeth Mullikin (1692 - 1768), the wife of Thomas Mullikin, who played a prominent role in establishing the family's landholdings in Maryland.
4. John Mullikin (1745 - 1825), an American planter and military officer who fought in the Revolutionary War.
5. Samuel Mullikin (1774 - 1864), a farmer and politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mullikin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullikin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mullikin 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 Mullikin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,683
- Two or more races3.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mullikin
Mullikin 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
#10,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,033
+116 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 410 places
2020
#10,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,899
-134 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,155 | 2,917 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,565 | 3,033 | 1.03 | +116 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 410 places |
| 2020 | #10,554 | 2,899 | 0.97 | -134 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 11 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 Mullikin 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 | #10,565 | #10,554 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,033 | 2,899 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.97 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mullikin bearers went from 3,033 to 2,899 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,565 to #10,554.
FAQ
Mullikin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mullikin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,324 living Americans carry the surname Mullikin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,115 residents.
How common is Mullikin?
Mullikin ranks #10,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,899 people with the surname Mullikin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,324), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Mullikin.
Has Mullikin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mullikin went from 3,033 recorded bearers to 2,899. That is a decrease of 134 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,565 to #10,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Mullikin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullikin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mullikin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mullikin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mullikin (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 Mullikin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maolagáin, meaning "descendant of Maolagán," a personal name meaning "little 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 Mullikin (0.97 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 have the last name Mullikin?
Find out how many people have the last name Mullikin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.