| ![Show Contents]() McCullen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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 McCullen 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 McCullen familyThe surname McCullen 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 McCullen familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCullen 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 McCullen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McCullen Spelling VariationsThe recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. One must realize that attempting to record a Gaelic name in English is a daunting task at the best of times. Even today the translation is a difficult one. Accordingly, research into the name McCullen revealed spelling variations, including 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 McCullen familyNotable 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. 1516. In 1528 the Pope granted him a dispensation from residence on account of the poverty of his see, which had been so wasted in the wars that it was not...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCullen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McCullen RankingIn the United States, the name McCullen is the 11,342nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4
 McCullen migration to the United States | + |
Irish families fled the English-colonized Ireland in record numbers during the 19th century for North America. Many of those destitute families died from disease during, and even shortly after, the long journey. Although those that immigrated before the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s often were granted a tract of land, those that arrived later were generally accommodated in urban centers or in work camps. Those in the urban centers would labor in the manufacturing sector, whereas those in work camps would to build critical infrastructures such as bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Regardless of when these Irish immigrants came to North America, they were critical for the rapid development of the young nations of the United States and Canada. Early immigration and passenger lists have recorded many early immigrants bearing the name of McCullen:
McCullen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Robert McCullen, aged 47, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
- James McCullen, aged 20, who immigrated to America, in 1896
- John McCullen, aged 2, who landed in America, in 1896
McCullen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Kate McCullen, aged 6, who landed in America from Drogheda, in 1904
- John H. McCullen, aged 32, who landed in America from Drogheda, in 1905
- Annie McCullen, aged 16, who settled in America from Ruskey, Ireland, in 1907
- Sarah Ellen McCullen, aged 33, who immigrated to the United States from Bootle, England, in 1910
- Edward McCullen, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Drogheda, Ireland, in 1911
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| McCullen migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: McCullen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Ms. Margaret McCullen, aged 23 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Odessa" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 6
| McCullen migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: McCullen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Sarah McCullen, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1840 7
| Contemporary Notables of the name McCullen (post 1700) | + |
- Paddy McCullen (b. 1962), American professional baseball player
- Joseph T. McCullen Jr., American venture capitalist and United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1973 to 1977)
- Aidan McCullen (b. 1977), retired Irish national rugby union team player
- Dave McCullen (b. 1977), born David Vervoort, a Belgian record producer and musician
- 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/
- 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. 43)
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BABOO 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Baboo.htm
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McCullen migration to the United States 
McCullen migration to Canada 
McCullen migration to Australia 
Ireland
Scotland
