Find out how popular the last name Smullen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Smullen.

Smullen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Smullen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smullen in America

Smullen is the 27204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smullen surname appeared 889 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Smullen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smullen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Smullen

The surname Smullen originated in Ireland, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Muillinn, which translates to "descendant of the miller." This suggests that the name may have been occupational in origin, referring to individuals who worked as millers or those who lived near a mill.

Smullen is considered an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Muillinn, which underwent various spelling changes over time due to the influence of English scribes and record-keepers. Some early variations of the name included Mullen, Mullin, and Mullins, all sharing a common root with the Gaelic Ó Muillinn.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Smullen surname can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of administrative records from the 16th century. In these documents, the name appears as "Mullyn," which was a common spelling variation at the time.

Among the notable individuals bearing the Smullen surname throughout history is Tobias Smullen (1690-1766), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for County Carlow in the Irish House of Commons. Another prominent figure was John Smullen (1827-1893), an Irish-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.

Other historical figures with the Smullen surname include:

1. James Smullen (1807-1879), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who founded St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California.
2. Michael Smullen (1826-1914), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as the 24th Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland.
3. John Smullen (1832-1914), an Irish-born Australian politician and businessman who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
4. William Smullen (1842-1925), an Irish-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council.
5. James Smullen (1859-1938), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who served as the sixth president of Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

While the Smullen surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smullen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Smullen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Smullen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Smullen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Smullen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Smullen, please contact us.

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