2000
#54,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 355
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Mulroney
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolruanaidh meaning "descendant of the tonsured one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 430 Americans carry the last name Mulroney. That puts it at #58,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 797,103 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulroney 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
430
1 in 797,103
Census rank
#58,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
375
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 375 bearers of the surname Mulroney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulroney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mulroney
The surname Mulroney has its origins in Ireland, traced back to the Gaelic O'Maolruanaidh clan. The name is derived from the Irish words "maol" meaning "bald" and "ruanaidh" meaning "champion." It is believed that the name originated in County Roscommon in the 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mulroney can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1596, a reference is made to "Maolruanaidh mac Conchobhair," a member of the O'Maolruanaidh clan.
The Mulroney name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 17th century, Terence Mulroney was a prominent Irish Catholic landowner and supporter of the Jacobite cause. He was born in County Mayo in 1640 and died in 1713.
In the 19th century, John Mulroney (1826-1901) was an Irish-born Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was a prominent figure in the early days of Canadian Confederation.
Another notable bearer of the Mulroney name was Brian Mulroney (born 1939), a Canadian politician who served as the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. He played a significant role in negotiating the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
In the world of literature, author and poet Mary Mulroney (1860-1941) was born in County Sligo, Ireland, and published several collections of poetry and short stories during her lifetime.
The name Mulroney has also been associated with various place names, such as Mulroney's Townland in County Roscommon, Ireland, and Mulroney Park in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulroney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulroney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulroney 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 Mulroney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 345
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 19
- Two or more races2.7% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulroney
Mulroney 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
#56,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 362
+7 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 2,059 places
2020
#58,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 375
+13 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 1,993 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,385 | 355 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #56,444 | 362 | 0.12 | +7 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 2,059 places |
| 2020 | #58,437 | 375 | 0.13 | +13 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 1,993 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 Mulroney 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 | #56,444 | #58,437 | -3.5% |
| Count | 362 | 375 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.13 | 4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulroney bearers went from 362 to 375 (+3.6% change). The surname moved down 1,993 positions in the national ranking, going from #56,444 to #58,437.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mulroney
FAQ
Mulroney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulroney?
Name Census estimates that about 430 living Americans carry the surname Mulroney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 797,103 residents.
How common is Mulroney?
Mulroney ranks #58,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 375 people with the surname Mulroney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mulroney.
Has Mulroney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulroney went from 362 recorded bearers to 375. That is an increase of 13 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #56,444 to #58,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulroney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulroney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Mulroney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (345 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulroney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Mulroney (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 Mulroney mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolruanaidh meaning "descendant of the tonsured one." 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 Mulroney (0.13 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 Mulroney?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mulroney is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.