2000
#9,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,267
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Mulvaney
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolmheana, meaning "descendant of a devotee of St. Méadhóc."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,698 Americans carry the last name Mulvaney. That puts it at #9,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulvaney 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 Mulvaney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,686
Census rank
#9,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,225 bearers of the surname Mulvaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulvaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mulvaney
The surname Mulvaney is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic 'Ó Maolbhánaidh' which translates to 'descendant of the pale-skinned one'. This name can be traced back to County Roscommon in the province of Connacht, Ireland, where it first emerged in the 11th century.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Mulvaney appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. Here, it is recorded that a Maolbhánaidh was present at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, which saw the Irish unite to defeat a Viking invasion.
As the Mulvaneys settled across Ireland in the following centuries, various spellings emerged, including Mulvany, Mulvena, and Mulvenna. These name variants can be found in records such as the Fiants of the Tudor Reign and the Hearth Money Rolls of the 17th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Mulvaney include Redmond Mulvaney (1632-1699), an Irish Franciscan friar who was executed for his role in the Williamite War. Patrick Mulvaney (1835-1912) was a prominent Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies. More recently, author Charles Mulvaney (1895-1979) penned the acclaimed novel 'The Sailor's Passage', set in his native County Mayo.
Other figures bearing the name include the American actress Kathleen Mulvaney (1913-1992), known for her roles in films such as 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'Citizen Kane'. In the world of sports, Michael Mulvaney (born 1968) was a successful Irish rugby union player who represented his country at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
While the name Mulvaney may have evolved in its spelling over the centuries, it remains firmly rooted in its Irish heritage, with its origins dating back to the eleventh century and the ancient Gaelic kingdom of Connacht.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulvaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulvaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulvaney 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 Mulvaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,000
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 109
- Two or more races2.4% · 79
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulvaney
Mulvaney 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
#9,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,296
+29 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 641 places
2020
#9,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,225
-71 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,180 | 3,267 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,821 | 3,296 | 1.12 | +29 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 641 places |
| 2020 | #9,628 | 3,225 | 1.08 | -71 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 193 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 Mulvaney 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 | #9,821 | #9,628 | 2.0% |
| Count | 3,296 | 3,225 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.08 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulvaney bearers went from 3,296 to 3,225 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 193 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,821 to #9,628.
FAQ
Mulvaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulvaney?
Name Census estimates that about 3,698 living Americans carry the surname Mulvaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,686 residents.
How common is Mulvaney?
Mulvaney ranks #9,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,225 people with the surname Mulvaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Mulvaney.
Has Mulvaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulvaney went from 3,296 recorded bearers to 3,225. That is a decrease of 71 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,821 to #9,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulvaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulvaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mulvaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,000 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulvaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mulvaney (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 Mulvaney mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolmheana, meaning "descendant of a devotee of St. Méadhóc." 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 Mulvaney (1.08 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 Mulvaney?
Want to know how many people have the last name Mulvaney? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.