Surname Mullens - Meaning and Origin
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Mullens: What does the surname Mullens mean?
The surname Mullens is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "O Maolain." This name is composed of two elements: "O" means "descendant of," and "Maolain" is a diminutive form of "maol," which means "bald." Therefore, the surname Mullens historically represents a descendant of a bald man, which was most likely a nickname for a monk or a religious devotee. This name emerged in the county Donegal in the northern part of Ireland. Over time, as the name spread across Ireland and into other languages, there were different variations in the spelling, such as Mullan, Mullin, Mullon, and others. Like many surnames, it was changed throughout history and as families migrated to new regions.
Order DNA origin analysisMullens: Where does the name Mullens come from?
The last name Mullens is most commonly found in the United States, though it can also be found in various other countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.
In the US, Mullens is particularly common in the state of West Virginia, where it is the thirty-ninth most popular surname. In this state, records show that more than 11,000 people have the name. In nearby Kentucky, it is the fifty-fourth most common surname, while in Tennessee it is the seventy-first.
In the 2000 US Census, more than 25,000 people had the surname nationwide. The largest numbers of Mullens can be found in the states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It was also the fifty-fifth most common name in the United Kingdom in 2002.
Mullens appears to be of Irish origin, with the name likely originating from a variant of the Irish surname O Maelain. The earliest recorded variant of the name can be found in the sixteenth century, where it was recorded in a handwritten document from the Abbey of St John in County Wexford, Ireland.
Overall, the prevalence of Mullens suggests that it is a relatively old and established name throughout much of the English-speaking world, likely with its roots in Ireland.
Variations of the surname Mullens
The surname Mullens has various variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These include Muelens, Mullins, Molin, Moulin, Moline, Mullen, Mullinax, Mullinex, Mullee, Mulle, Muhlenburg, Mullines and Mull, as well as other alternate spellings and variations.
The surname Mullens is most likely derived from the Old French personal name Moulin, which means mill worker. It is believed that the original bearer of the name was someone who worked in or managed a mill. In Old French, the name would have been spelled ‘Moulin’ or ‘Moulinet’, and later, the spelling was changed to ‘Mullen’ in Ireland and parts of England.
The surname Mullens is found in many different countries around the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and Australia. In fact, the name is particularly popular in the USA, and it was the 11th most common surname for Americans in published in the 1990 census.
Despite the various spellings and surnames of the same origin, they all originate from the same French word “moulin”, meaning mill worker. It is believed that this surname has been in use for many centuries and is still a common surname today.
Famous people with the name Mullens
- Larry Mullens Jr., Foo Fighters drummer and co-founder
- Broden Mullens, Australian sitcom actor
- Delroy Mullens, Jamaican former footballer
- Yeardley Smith, American television, film and voice actor, born Martha Maria Yeardley Smith Mullens
- Mike Mullens, American former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Matt Mullens, American former National Football League player
- Matt Mullenweg, American web developer and computer programmer, and founder of WordPress
- Mark Mullens, English professional footballer
- Bryan Mullens, American former National Football League player
- Kara Mullens, American former professional basketball player