Show ContentsMullikan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Mullikan was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó Maolagain, which is derived from the word maol, which means bald. 1

Early Origins of the Mullikan family

The surname Mullikan was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Mullikan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mullikan research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1431 is included under the topic Early Mullikan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mullikan Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Mullikan can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Mulligan, O'Mulligan, Mullican, Mullighan, Mulliken and many more.

Early Notables of the Mullikan family

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

Migration of the Mullikan family

Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Mullikan name: Jane Mullican, listed in a land patent record in Maryland in 1674; Bryant Milligan, who is on record in Virginia in 1705; Cornelius, Edward, Hugh, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas and William Mulligan all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.



  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook