Mulvany History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Mulvany surname was an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Maoilmheana, meaning "descendant of Maoilmheana," a personal name meaning "chieftain of the Main (river)." In Donegal it may be an Anglicized form of Ó Maolmhaghna

Early Origins of the Mulvany family

The surname Mulvany was first found in County Derry, where they were hereditary ollavs of O'Cahan (O'Kane.) One of the first records of the name was Ó Maiol Mheanna mentioned in the Annals of Ulster in 1164 where the family claim descent for the from Eoghan, son of Niall of the None Hostages and was probably associated with the river Meana which flowed into Lough Neagh at Randalstown. 1

Another source claims that the name claims descent from the Donnelly line from MaolfIona which meant in English "the devotee of wine" 2

As both authors referenced were Chief Heralds of Ireland, we must leave it up the reader to decide who is more accurate.

"O'Mulvey was a Chief in the Barony of Mohill, County Leitrim, in which county about 50 per cent, of persons bearing the name Mulvey are now found." 3

Early History of the Mulvany family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mulvany research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1659, 1770 and 1845 are included under the topic Early Mulvany History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mulvany Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: O'Mulvany, Mulvany, Mulvenna, O'Mulvey, Mulvey and many more.

Early Notables of the Mulvany family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Thomas James Mulvany (c.1770-1845), an original member of the Royal Hibernian Academy

Mulvany migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mulvany Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Mulvany, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 4
Patrick Mulvany, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 4
Christoph Patrick Mulvany, aged 31, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1855 4

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. Print
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)