Contents [hide]

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

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Muldoon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Muldoon

What does the name Muldoon mean?

The surname Muldoon originally comes from the Gaelic as Ó Maolduin, a patronymic name meaning "descendent of Maolduin." The personal name Maolduin is composed of the elements "maol," meaning "chieftain," and "dún," meaning "fortress."

Early Origins of the Muldoon family

The surname Muldoon was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they had been anciently seated at Enniscrone and said to be directly descended from King Niall of the Nine Hostages, Ireland's General Commander/King who died in the fourth century. From his twelve sons many tribes are descended including O'Caomhain who controlled the tribes from the River Gleoir to the Easky, a tract of land which included the homes of about 30 tribes, including the Muldoons.

Some of the first records of the family appeared as a forename. Máel Dúin mac Áedo Bennán (died 661) was King of Iarmuman (West Munster.) A few years later, Máel Dúin mac Conaill (died 688) was a king in Dál Riata (now Western Scotland).

Early History of the Muldoon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Muldoon research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1700 is included under the topic Early Muldoon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muldoon Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Muldoon that are preserved in archival documents are Muldoon, O'Muldoon, Meldon, O'Meldon, Maoldoon and many more.

Early Notables of the Muldoon family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Muldoon of Sligo

Muldoon Ranking

In the United States, the name Muldoon is the 8,545^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Muldoon migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Muldoon name:

Muldoon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Muldoon, who settled in New York in 1803
Mary and Michael Muldoon who arrived in New York State in 1804
Felix Muldoon, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 2
Edward Muldoon, who arrived at Philadelphia in 1830
John Muldoon, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Muldoon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Muldoon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Wm. Muldoon, who settled in Ottawa, Canada in 1818
Susan Muldoon, aged 8, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Prudence" in 1838
Bernard Muldoon, aged 5, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Prudence" in 1838
John Muldoon, aged 4, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Prudence" in 1838
Mr. John Muldoon, aged 7 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "John Munn" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Muldoon migration to Australia +

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

Muldoon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Muldoon, (Muldoone), (b. 1775), aged 39, Irish barber who was convicted in Meath, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 5th December 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1847 4
Mr. Charles Muldoon, (b. 1825), aged 19, Irish gardener who was convicted in Fermanagh, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Muldoon 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:

Muldoon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edward Muldoon, aged 23, a ploughman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "India" in 1875 6
Margaret Muldoon, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "India" in 1875 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Muldoon (post 1700) +

Sir Robert Muldoon (1921-1992), New Zealand politician, 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand (1975-1984), 32nd Minister of Finance (1975-1984), 4th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand in 1972, 21st Leader of the Opposition (1974-1975)
Paul Muldoon (b. 1951), Pulitzer Prize-winning (2003) poet from County Armagh, Northern Ireland as well as an educator and academic at Princeton University
Tomás Andrés Mauro Muldoon OFM (1938-2024), American Roman Catholic prelate
Patrick C. Muldoon, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Virginia 9th District, 1996 7
Kevin Muldoon, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008 7
Joseph W. Muldoon, American Republican politician, Mayor of Glen Cove, New York, 1966-67; Defeated, 1967 7
William A. Muldoon (1852-1933), American Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion, the first chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission
Patrick Muldoon (b. 1968), American actor and musician
Sylvan Muldoon (1903-1969), American writer on the paranormal; he promoted the concept of astral projection (an out-of-body experience)
John Muldoon (b. 1982), Irish rugby union coach and former player
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Muldoon family +

USS Indianapolis

John James Muldoon (1915-1992), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he survived the sinking 8

The Muldoon 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: Pro fide et patria
Motto Translation: For faith and my country.

Sources +

"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 48)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). 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
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew