Show ContentsMullings History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Mullings originally appeared in Gaelic as either Ó Meallain, Ó Maolain or Mac Maolain. The first surname is derived from the word meall, which means pleasant. The second and third surnames are derived from maol, which means bald.

Early Origins of the Mullings family

The surname Mullings was first found in the province of Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn) where the Mullen, Mullin and Mullan spellings were popular. They were descended from the Kings of Connacht and are of the same basic stock as the O'Concannons. Branches were also found in Cork, Limerick, and Clare where the Mullane and Mullins spellings were the most frequent. Some were found north in Ulster and Tyrone and Derry. 1 This latter group is difficult to trace as the Scottish MacMullen or McMullen settled there during Cromwell's Plantation of Ulster.

Early History of the Mullings family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mullings research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1660, 1720 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Mullings History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mullings Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Mullings are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Mullan, Mullen, Mullin, Mullens, Mullins, O'Mullen, O'Mullan, O'Mullin, McMullen and many more.

Early Notables of the Mullings family

Notable among the family name at this time was Allan Mullen, M.D., (born c. 1660), one of the most eminent Irish anatomists; Dr. James Mullen, self educated doctor; Rev. John McMullen, Bishop...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mullings Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mullings Ranking

In the United States, the name Mullings is the 11,333rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Mullings family

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Mullings family in North America: D. B. Mullen settled in Philadelphia with his wife, son and servants, in 1807; Daniel, Bernard, Charles, Edward, Hugh,James, John, Margaret, Michael, Patrick, Peter, Thomas and William Mullen all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.


Contemporary Notables of the name Mullings (post 1700) +

  • Leith Mullings, American author, anthropologist and professor
  • Keith Mullings (1968-2021), Jamaican professional super welterweight boxer, WBC Light Middleweight boxing champion (1997-1999)
  • Darren Mullings (b. 1987), English professional footballer
  • Emma Mullings, Australian television presenter, radio announcer and producer
  • Patrick "Schoolboy" Mullings (b. 1970), English amateur bantamweight and professional super bantam/feather/super featherweight boxer
  • Frank Mullings (1881-1953), English tenor with Sir Thomas Beecham's Beecham Opera Company
  • Steve Mullings (b. 1982), Jamaican former sprint athlete
  • Seymour St. Edward "Foggy" Mullings OJ CD (1931-2013), Jamaican politician, Deputy Prime Minister
  • Daniel Mullings (b. 1991), Canadian basketball player


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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