2000
#9,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Mulvihill
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolmhichíl, meaning "descendant of the devotee of St. Michael."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,645 Americans carry the last name Mulvihill. That puts it at #9,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,034 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulvihill 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 Mulvihill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,034
Census rank
#9,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,179 bearers of the surname Mulvihill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulvihill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mulvihill
The surname Mulvihill is of Irish origin, specifically from the Gaelic territories of what is now County Kerry and parts of County Limerick. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the old Irish words "muil" meaning "summit" or "hilltop" and "bhile" meaning "ancient tree." Thus, Mulvihill likely referred to someone who lived near or owned property with an old tree atop a hill.
Early recordings of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The name appeared in various spellings such as Ó Maoilbhile, Ó Maoilibhile, and Ó Muilbhile. These variations reflect the difficulty of transliterating Irish names into English at the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Diarmaid Ó Muilbhile, a scribe and poet who lived in County Kerry in the 15th century. Another notable bearer of the name was Domhnall Ó Maoilibhile, a chieftain of the Clann Mhaoilbhile, a branch of the Uí Fhloinn dynasty, who fought against the English in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name was anglicized to its modern spelling of Mulvihill. During this period, the Mulvihills were among the many Irish families who lost their lands as a result of the Cromwellian conquest and the subsequent plantation of Ireland by English and Scottish settlers.
A prominent figure from this era was Donough Mulvihill, a landowner and rebel who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1641. He was later captured and hanged in 1642 for his role in the uprising.
In the 18th century, the Mulvihills were found primarily in County Kerry, with some also residing in neighboring counties such as Limerick and Cork. During this time, the name Mulvihill appeared in various records, including the Petty Census of 1659 and the Hearth Money Rolls of the late 17th century.
Notable Mulvihills from the 19th century include Father Patrick Mulvihill, a Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on the history and culture of County Kerry, and James Mulvihill, a railroad engineer and surveyor who worked on the construction of several major railway lines in Ireland and England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulvihill
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulvihill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulvihill 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 Mulvihill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,915
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 120
- Two or more races3.2% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulvihill
Mulvihill 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
#10,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,189
-32 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 797 places
2020
#9,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,179
-10 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,302 | 3,221 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,099 | 3,189 | 1.08 | -32 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 797 places |
| 2020 | #9,741 | 3,179 | 1.06 | -10 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 358 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 Mulvihill 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 | #10,099 | #9,741 | 3.5% |
| Count | 3,189 | 3,179 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.06 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulvihill bearers went from 3,189 to 3,179 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 358 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,099 to #9,741.
FAQ
Mulvihill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulvihill?
Name Census estimates that about 3,645 living Americans carry the surname Mulvihill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,034 residents.
How common is Mulvihill?
Mulvihill ranks #9,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,179 people with the surname Mulvihill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,645), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Mulvihill.
Has Mulvihill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulvihill went from 3,189 recorded bearers to 3,179. That is a decrease of 10 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,099 to #9,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulvihill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulvihill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Mulvihill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,915 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulvihill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Mulvihill (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 Mulvihill mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolmhichíl, meaning "descendant of the devotee of St. Michael." 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 Mulvihill (1.06 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 Americans have the surname Mulvihill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.