NameCensus.

UK surname

Mulloy

An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolmhuaidh, meaning "descendant of the devotee of St Muadh".

In the 1881 census there were 437 people recorded with the Mulloy surname, ranking it #7,472 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 320, ranked #14,096, down from #7,472 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Troqueer and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stockton-on-Tees, Craven and Westminster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mulloy is 437 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 26.8%.

1881 census count

437

Ranked #7,472

Modern count

320

2016, ranked #14,096

Peak year

1881

437 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mulloy had 437 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,472 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 320 in 2016, ranked #14,096.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 437 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Mulloy surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mulloy surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mulloy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mulloy over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 232 #9,296
1861 historical 214 #11,365
1881 historical 437 #7,472
1891 historical 301 #11,092
1901 historical 323 #11,065
1911 historical 245 #13,084
1997 modern 312 #13,182
1998 modern 316 #13,424
1999 modern 321 #13,362
2000 modern 311 #13,588
2001 modern 310 #13,452
2002 modern 306 #13,835
2003 modern 282 #14,410
2004 modern 288 #14,254
2005 modern 277 #14,542
2006 modern 281 #14,500
2007 modern 295 #14,198
2008 modern 306 #13,943
2009 modern 324 #13,689
2010 modern 321 #14,066
2011 modern 321 #13,940
2012 modern 312 #14,131
2013 modern 329 #13,810
2014 modern 332 #13,807
2015 modern 323 #13,991
2016 modern 320 #14,096

Geography

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Where Mulloys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Troqueer, Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stockton-on-Tees, Craven, Westminster and Northampton. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Troqueer Kirkcudbright
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stockton-on-Tees 003 Stockton-on-Tees
2 Stockton-on-Tees 002 Stockton-on-Tees
3 Craven 008 Craven
4 Westminster 009 Westminster
5 Northampton 008 Northampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mulloy

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mulloy surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mulloy

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mulloy, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Mulloy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Mulloy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Mulloy is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mulloy is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mulloy falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mulloy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mulloy, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mulloy

The surname Mulloy originated in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic O'Maolmhuaidh, meaning "descendant of the servant of St. Muadh." St. Muadh was an early Irish saint who lived in the 6th century. The name is anglicized as Mulloy, Molloy, Mulloye, and other variations.

The name is believed to have originated in County Fermanagh, located in the northern part of Ireland. It was first recorded in the Annals of Ulster in the 13th century, which were chronicles written by Irish monks that documented events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ferghal Ó Maolmhuaidh, who was listed in the Annals of Ulster in 1275 as the Chief of Muintir Maolmhuaidh, a powerful Irish clan in County Fermanagh.

In the 16th century, the Mulloy family was driven from their lands in County Fermanagh during the Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonization that aimed to settle Ulster with Protestant English and Scottish settlers. Many Mulloys fled to County Mayo, where they became prominent landowners and merchants.

Notable people with the surname Mulloy include Thomas Mulloy (1736-1801), an Irish-born merchant and politician who served as Mayor of Philadelphia in 1805. Another was Patrick Mulloy (1847-1909), an Irish-born American labor leader who co-founded the Western Federation of Miners in 1893.

In the 20th century, Gardnar Mulloy (1913-2016) was a famous American tennis player who won multiple Grand Slam titles in the 1950s and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1972. Robert Mulloy (1918-1964) was an American politician who served as the 26th Governor of South Dakota from 1959 to 1961.

Mary Mulloy (1901-1988) was a pioneering American aviator and flight instructor who co-founded the Civilian Pilot Training Program during World War II, which trained over a million civilian pilots for the war effort.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mulloy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mulloy surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 190 Mulloys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.71x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 190 3.71x
Staffordshire 42 2.89x
Lanarkshire 32 2.29x
Yorkshire 26 0.61x
Cheshire 24 2.52x
Warwickshire 24 2.21x
Dunbartonshire 21 18.12x
Kirkcudbrightshire 16 25.63x
West Lothian 9 13.86x
Aberdeenshire 7 1.75x
Worcestershire 7 1.24x
Shetland 6 13.63x
Sussex 6 0.83x
Ayrshire 5 1.55x
Royal Navy 5 9.73x
Gloucestershire 3 0.35x
Midlothian 3 0.52x
Renfrewshire 3 0.90x
Durham 2 0.16x
Essex 2 0.24x
Middlesex 2 0.05x
Surrey 2 0.10x
Angus 1 0.25x
Dumfriesshire 1 1.05x
Flintshire 1 0.86x
Kent 1 0.07x
Perthshire 1 0.52x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 42 Mulloys recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.52x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 42 13.52x
Wolverhampton 17 15.19x
Barony 16 4.53x
Troqueer 16 195.36x
Everton 15 9.20x
Aston 14 4.68x
Kirkdale 14 16.27x
Ormskirk 13 132.79x
Birkenhead 12 15.82x
Widnes 12 32.52x
Bilston 10 35.45x
Stockport 10 20.42x
Birmingham 9 2.48x
Govan 9 2.61x
Oldham 9 5.45x
West Derby 9 6.01x
Leeds 8 3.32x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 7 9.37x
Bathgate 7 49.65x
Kidderminster Borough 7 21.24x
West Bromwich 7 8.40x
Westleigh 7 60.24x
Bradford 6 5.80x
Burnley 6 13.92x
Cardross 6 43.13x
Dunrossness 6 103.45x
Great Bolton 6 8.85x
Keighley 6 13.18x
New Kilpatrick 6 54.45x
Newcastle Under Lyme 6 23.30x
Old Kilpatrick 6 43.83x
Birkdale 5 38.61x
Dalry 5 32.94x
Royal Navy 5 11.38x
Whalley 5 67.02x
Chorlton Cum Hardy 4 117.99x
Hastings St Mary In The 4 25.79x
Tonge 4 37.28x
Dumbarton 3 18.60x
Farnworth 3 9.79x
Glasgow 3 1.21x
Habergham Eaves 3 6.42x
Litherland 3 28.04x
Nether Hallam 3 5.19x
Newchurch 3 7.17x
Old Monkland 3 5.42x
Sutton 3 17.48x
Wigan 3 4.20x
Winchcomb 3 71.43x
Blackburn 2 1.47x
Brighton 2 1.36x
Colchester St James 2 57.97x
Edinburgh New North 2 39.76x
Houston Killallan 2 61.92x
Hulme 2 1.87x
Toxteth Park 2 1.15x
Uphall 2 28.01x
Walton On Hill 2 7.22x
Wardleworth 2 6.84x
Worsley 2 6.34x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 0.89x
Brightside Bierlow 1 1.19x
Cheetham 1 2.62x
Clitheroe 1 6.64x
Gorton 1 2.08x
Harbury 1 56.50x
Haselor 1 3333.33x
Hoddam 1 43.48x
Kensington London 1 0.42x
Liff Benvie 1 1.65x
Macclesfield 1 2.36x
Over Whitley 1 222.22x
Pennington In Leigh 1 10.18x
Richmond 1 3.40x
South Leith 1 1.54x
Spitalfields London 1 3.08x
Trimdon 1 22.08x
Wavertree 1 6.11x
Whitworth 1 10.65x
Woking 1 7.90x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mulloy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 37
Margaret 15
Ann 13
Catherine 11
Ellen 11
Bridget 8
Jane 7
Sarah 7
Elizabeth 6
Maria 6
Alice 4
Anne 3
Annie 3
Julia 3
Agnes 2
Caroline 2
Eliza 2
Fanny 2
Kate 2
Rose 2
Winifred 2
Annice 1
Catharine 1
Cathrerine 1
Clara 1
Deborah 1
Dorothy 1
E. 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Honor 1
Isobel 1
Josephine 1
Julien 1
Maggie 1
Mariah 1
Marie 1
Matilda 1
Pee 1
Sabina 1
Sophia 1
Theresa 1
Thresa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mulloy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 28
James 21
Patrick 17
Thomas 14
William 13
Michael 9
Charles 6
Edward 6
Martin 5
George 4
Henry 4
Austin 3
Peter 3
Richard 3
Stephen 3
Bernard 2
Daniel 2
Joseph 2
Walter 2
Albyn 1
Andrew 1
Anthony 1
Dominic 1
Enias 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
J. 1
Michel 1
Robt. 1
Roger 1
S. 1
Stephan 1
Thmos. 1
Thos 1
Thos. 1
Tommie 1

FAQ

Mulloy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mulloy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 437 people were recorded with the Mulloy surname. That placed it at #7,472 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mulloy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 320 in 2016. That gives Mulloy a modern rank of #14,096.

What does the Mulloy surname mean?

An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolmhuaidh, meaning "descendant of the devotee of St Muadh".

What does the Mulloy map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mulloy bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.