Contents [hide]

Cullen History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Cullen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Cullen

What does the name Cullen mean?

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Cullen is "Mac Cuilinn" or "Ó Cuilinn," which are from the word "cuileann," which means "holly." 1

They descend from Heber, who with his brother Heremon ruled Ireland. 2 Culen or Colin, son of Indulph, was King of Scotland or Alba (967-71?) "His father, Indulph, was the first king who occupied Edinburgh, up to that time within Anglian Northumbria. " 3

Early Origins of the Cullen family

The surname Cullen was first found in the southeast of Ireland, in the counties of Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford. Although all but one of the many distinct septs have become extinct, this remaining sept currently provides Ireland with nearly 8000 members, enough to make Cullen the 84th most common name in Ireland.

Descended from Olioll Flann Beag, king of Munster, the Cullens made their original homeland at Glencullen, in Wicklow, and they have remained there to the present day, despite the threat of their more powerful neighbors, the O'Tooles and the O'Byrnes. They were an influential family, as indicated by the inclusion of Cullen of Cullenstown among the leading gentry of Wexford in the Clongowes manuscript of 1598.

Due to the prominence of this sept, a number of similarly-named minor septs also adopted the name Cullen, including O Cuileamhain of south Leinster, which is also rendered Culloon or Culhoun, and Mac Cuilin of Leitrim, which is also Anglicized MacCullen.

Early History of the Cullen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cullen research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1516, 1517, 1528, 1531, 1534, 1542, 1659, 1803 and 1878 are included under the topic Early Cullen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cullen Spelling Variations

Lacking standardized spellings, scribes and church officials recorded people's name according to how they sounded. This practice often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Cullen are preserved in the archival documents of the period. The various spellings of the name that were found include Cullen, Cullan, Cullane, O'Cullen, Cullain, Cullin, Cullon, McCullen, MacCullen, O'Cullane, Culen, Culan, Culain, Cullaine, Culaine, MacCulen, MacCollin, MacColin, O'Colen, O'Collen, O'Cuilin, O'Cuillin, O'Culane, O'Culen, O'Culhoon, O'Culloon, MacCullen, Cullain, Culon, Cullon, Culling and many more.

Early Notables of the Cullen family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Patrick O'Cullen, (d. 1534), Bishop of Clogher (1517-1542.) He "was an Augustinian hermit and prior of St. John without Newgate in Dublin. He was appointed to the see of Clogher by Leo X on 11 Feb. 15...
Many year later, Paul Cullen (1803-1878), was Cardinal and Archbishop of Dublin. He was "son of Hugh Cullen, farmer, by his wife Judith, sister of James Maher, a well-known parish priest at Craigue, c...

Cullen World Ranking

In the United States, the name Cullen is the 1,859^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Cullen is ranked the 366^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,915 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Cullen is the 337^th popular surname with an estimated 1,881 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Cullen as 509^th with 12,793 people. 7

Cullen migration to the United States +

Many Irish families boarded ships bound for North America in the middle of 19th century to escape the conditions of poverty and racial discrimination at that time. Although these immigrants often arrived in a destitute state, they went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. An inquiry into many immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants to North America bearing the Cullen family name:

Cullen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Marcus Cullen, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 8

Cullen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Patrick Cullen, who settled in West New Jersey in 1772

Cullen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary Cullen, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 8
Allen Cullen, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 8
William Cullen, who arrived in New York in 1818 8
Henry Cullen who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1820
L. Cullen, who settled in Baltimore in 1820
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cullen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

F N Cullen, who arrived in Arkansas in 1905 8
Sarah Cullen, who landed in Alabama in 1921 8
Philip Cullen, who landed in Alabama in 1928 8

Cullen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cullen Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Isaac Cullen U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 9
William Cullen was a property owner in St. John's Newfoundland in 1794 and had been settled there for 17 years 10

Cullen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Cullen, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1823
Nancy Cullen, aged 19, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
John Cullen, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Lady Douglas" from New Ross
Bridget Cullen, aged 40, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Britannia" from Sligo, Ireland
James Cullen, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cullen migration to Australia +

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

Cullen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick Cullen, (b. 1776), aged 25, Irish convict who was convicted in Kilkenny, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1823 11
Mr. James Cullen, (b. 1770), aged 32, Irish convict who was convicted in Wexford, Ireland for lif for being an Political prisoner, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 30th May 1802, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1840 11
Mr. Michael Cullen, (b. 1738), aged 64, Irish convict who was convicted in Wexford, Ireland for lif for murder, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 30th May 1802, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. John Cullen, Irish convict who was convicted in Wicklow, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Miss Anne Cullen, (b. 1797), aged 21, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cullen 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:

Cullen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Cullen, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Bengal Merchant 14
James Cullen, aged 20, a farm servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 15
William Cullen, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842
William Cullen, aged 23, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 16
William Cullen, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "John Masterman" in 1857
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cullen (post 1700) +

Timothy Francis Cullen (1944-2024), American politician, 5th Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services (1987-1988)
Edward Peter Cullen (1933-2023), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania from 1998 to 2009
James P. Cullen (1945-2017), American Brigadier General in the United States Army who served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps
Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen (1969-2017), American State Trooper who was killed when his Virginia State Police Bell 407 helicopter crashed during the Virginia Unite the Right rally on August 12th, 2017
Matthew David "Matt" Cullen (b. 1976), American professional NHL ice hockey center
Peter Brett Cullen (b. 1956), American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs
Countee Cullen (1903-1946), American poet and one of the leading figures of the "Harlem Renaissance"
Paddy Cullen (1944-2025), Irish Gaelic football manager and player from Stoneybatter, Dublinfrom 1966 to 1979
Patrick Cullen (1944-2025), Irish Gaelic football manager and player
Michael Joseph Cullen (1931-2024), Scottish footballer
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cullen family +

Empress of Ireland

Mrs. Maude Cullen (1882-1914), Canadian First Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17
Master Albert Edward Cullen (1912-1914), Canadian First Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17
Miss Isobel Maude Cullen (1908-1914), Canadian First Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17

Lady of the Lake

Christian Cullen (b. 1829), Irish traveller from Malin Head, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking
Christian Cullen (b. 1809), Irish traveller from Malin Head, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking

North Sea Flood

B. Cullen, British worker aboard the trawler "Sheldon" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

Pemberton Mill

Miss Alice Cullen, factory worker in the Pemberton Mill on 10th January 1860 when the mill collapsed trapping 900 workers as rescue attempts continued into the night, an oil lantern was knocked over further engulfing the trapped workers in fire, she died

RMS Titanic

Mr. Charles Cullen, aged 45, English Bedroom Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 11 18

SS Atlantic

Bridget Cullen, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

Vimy Ridge

Edward George Cullen (1898-1917), Canadian farmer, Private in the 44th Battalion from Manitoba who died at Vimy Ridge April 1917

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Shadow Time Settlers (Retrieved 5th November 2010), retrieved from http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/settlers.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html