Contents [hide]

Mullen History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Mullen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Mullen

What does the name Mullen mean?

The name Mullen is most likely occupational in origin; in other words, that is, a name derived from the name of a profession. Many occupational names refer directly to the occupation, but some, like Mullen, are metonymic, meaning that they refer to some object associated with the profession. Mullen comes from the French word "moulin," meaning "a mill:" the first bearer of the name probably worked in a mill, but it is also possible that the name was taken on by some who lived near a mill. 1

"Moulins, is a place in the department of Orne, in Normandy." 2 3

Early Origins of the Mullen family

The surname Mullen was first found in Suffolk where records show Ralph Milun in the Feet of Fines of 1198, and Adam Milun in a record from 1200. Other records show Ralph de Molins in the Pipe Rolls of 1159. A few years later, Laurence atte Mulene was listed in the Writs of Parliament of 1278. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed William de Molyns, Gloucestershire 5 and Gilbert atte Mullane was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 6

Early History of the Mullen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mullen research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1289, 1341, 1428, 1645 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Mullen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mullen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mullin, Mullis, Mullen, Mullins, Mullens, Mullings, Molins, Millen, Millin and many more.

Early Notables of the Mullen family

More information is included under the topic Early Mullen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mullen Ranking

In the United States, the name Mullen is the 869^th most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 7 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Mullen is ranked the 759^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,816 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Mullen family to Ireland

Some of the Mullen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mullen migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mullen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Mullen, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 9
John Mullen, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 9
Brian Mullen, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1774 9
Daniel Mullen, who arrived in America in 1782 9
William Mullen, who arrived in New Castle, Del in 1794 9

Mullen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

D. B. Mullen, who settled in Philadelphia with his wife, son and servants, in 1807
Eliza Mullen, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 9
Robert Mullen, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 9
Richard Mullen, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 9
Alexander Mullen, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mullen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mullen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Nancy Mullen, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Bartley" in 1833
Ann Mullen, aged 5, who landed in Quebec in 1833
Mary Mullen, aged 35, who landed in Quebec in 1833
Margaret Mullen, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Michael Mullen, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Trafalgar" from Galway, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mullen migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Mullen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Anne Mullen, (Mullin, Mullens, Mullins, Mullan), Irish convict who was convicted in Monaghan, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Thomas Mullen, English convict who was convicted in Carlisle, Cumbria (Cumberland), England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Robert Mullen, (b. 1801), aged 19, Irish shoe maker's assistant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he was executed in 1833 12
Miss Ann Mullen who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Mr. David Mullen, (John, Bryan), Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mullen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Mullen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Mullen, aged 24, a farmer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cartvale" in 1874
Mr. Patrick Mullen, (b. 1853), aged 26, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 15
Mrs. Mary Ann Mullen, (b. 1855), aged 24, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 15
Miss Sarah Mullen, (b. 1851), aged 28, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 15
Eliza Mullen, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Mullen (post 1700) +

Major General William F. Mullen III (1964-2024), American officer in the United States Marine Corps who last served as the commanding general for Training and Education Command
Harryette Mullen (b. 1953), American poet, short story writer, and literary scholar
Joseph Patrick Mullen (b. 1957), retired American professional NHL ice hockey player
Sheila Mullen (b. 1957), American model
Admiral Michael Glenn Mullen (b. 1946), American 28th Chief of Naval Operations from 2005 to 2007
David Mullen (b. 1952), award-winning American artist and photographer
Charles W. Mullen, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Bangor, Maine, 1911-12; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maine 4th District, 1912, 1914; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1924 16
Charles H. Mullen, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1928 16
Cecelia E. Mullen, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1940, 1952 16
C. H. Mullen, American politician, Circuit Judge in Michigan 9th Circuit, 1979-85 16
... (Another 58 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Mullen family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Robert Mullen (d. 1914), American Third Class Passenger from Racine, Wisconsin, United States who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17

HMS Hood

Mr. John Mullen (b. 1921), Scottish Telegraphist serving for the Royal Navy from Burnbank, Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18

HMS Royal Oak

Thomas George Mullen (1913-1939), Irish Ordnance Artificer 3rd Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 19

RMS Titanic

Mr. Thomas A. Mullen (d. 1912), aged 20, Scottish Steward from Maxwelltown, Dumfries who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Minia 20
Miss Katherine "Katie" Mullen, aged 19, Irish Third Class passenger from Rhyne, Killoe, Longford who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 16 20

The Mullen Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Mea gloria fides
Motto Translation: Fidelity is my glory.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html