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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Mulcahy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Mulcahy

What does the name Mulcahy mean?

There are multitude of rich histories underlying the many Irish surnames in use today. The name Mulcahy originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Maolchathaigh, which means "a descendant of a devotee of St. Cathach." The surname is not, as is often believed, derived from "cathach," meaning "warlike."

Early Origins of the Mulcahy family

The surname Mulcahy was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster. 1 They claim descendancy from the Moores, hence the same shield. "John, a younger brother or Roger Caoch who is No. 114 on the 'Moore' pedigree, was the ancestor of Mulcahy." The author continues with a footnote, "From a similarity in the pronunciation of the names, some were of opinion the Maolcaich, who is mentioned in the Stowe Missal, might have been the ancestor of the family. " 2 From these early beginnings, two additional branches were established in Ardpaddeen and in Kilkenny. Of this latter branch, "the ancient fort or rath in the parish of Castleconor, County Sligo known as Rath Maoilcatha, has suggested the idea that this family may have derived their name from the Maolcatha after whom the rath is called; and therefore that they are descended from the royal stock from which branched the O'Connors, Kings of Connaught." 2

Early History of the Mulcahy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mulcahy research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mulcahy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mulcahy Spelling Variations

Throughout the early history of this name, spellings of the surname in various records changed frequently largely due to the recorder's interpretation of how the name sounded at the time of the entry. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the Mulcahy family name include Mulcahey, O'Mulcahey, Mulcahy, O'Mulcahy, Mulcahee, Mulkey, McMulkey and many more.

Early Notables of the Mulcahy family

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

Mulcahy Ranking

In the United States, the name Mulcahy is the 5,814^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Mulcahy migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation, and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Mulcahy:

Mulcahy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Timothy Mulcahy, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 4

Mulcahy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John and Mary Mulcahy, who settled in Boston in 1849 along with Patrick
David, Denis, John, Thomas, Timothy, William Mulcahy all, who arrived in Pennsylvania between 1800 and 1860

Mulcahy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mulcahy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Bridget Mulcahy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1820
Thomas Mulcahy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1827
Mary Mulcahy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1833
James Mulcahy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1838
John Mulcahy, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mulcahy migration to Australia +

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

Mulcahy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Mulcahy, (Mulchaley, Mulchaly), Irish convict who was convicted in Waterford, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
David Mulcahy, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Osceola" 6
John Mulcahy, aged 29, a shoemaker, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Standard" 7
Anne Mulcahy, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Standard" 7
Johanna Mulcahy, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Royal Albert"

Mulcahy 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:

Mulcahy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Mulcahy, aged 24, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 8
Bartholomew Mulcahy, aged 35, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Daniel Mulcahy, aged 27, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Mary Mulcahy, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Mary Mulcahy, aged 6 months, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mulcahy (post 1700) +

Robert Edward Mulcahy III (1932-2022), American college athletic director at Rutgers University from 1998 to 2009
Thomas Mulcahy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1912 9
Robert J. Mulcahy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Illinois State Senate 9th District, 1938 9
Karen M. Mulcahy, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, 2005 9
Marie F. Mulcahy, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly 2nd District, 2000 9
John A. Mulcahy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1948 9
Edward William Mulcahy (b. 1921), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Chad, 1972-74; Tunisia, 1976-79 9
Edmond L. Mulcahy, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Illinois Democratic State Central Committee, 1919, 1938-43 9
E. C. Mulcahy, American Democratic Party politician, Nevada Democratic State Chair, 1945 9
Cornelius Mulcahy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1924, 1928 9
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OSCEOLA / ASCEOLA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Osceola-Asceola.htm
South Australian Register Friday 14 October 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Standard 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/standard1853.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html