NameCensus.

UK surname

Mulvenna

An Irish surname derived from the Irish Gaelic words 'meall' meaning 'hill' and 'beannach' meaning 'peaked'.

In the 1881 census there were 9 people recorded with the Mulvenna surname, ranking it #32,416 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 204, ranked #19,320, up from #32,416 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ13, IZ11 and High Crosshill.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mulvenna is 208 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 2166.7%.

1881 census count

9

Ranked #32,416

Modern count

204

2016, ranked #19,320

Peak year

2014

208 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mulvenna had 9 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #32,416 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 204 in 2016, ranked #19,320.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 46 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mulvenna surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mulvenna surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mulvenna 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
1861 historical 1 #34,435
1881 historical 9 #32,416
1891 historical 25 #32,259
1901 historical 46 #29,047
1911 historical 9 #32,754
1997 modern 174 #19,231
1998 modern 170 #20,030
1999 modern 169 #20,233
2000 modern 171 #20,044
2001 modern 175 #19,484
2002 modern 180 #19,533
2003 modern 178 #19,489
2004 modern 175 #19,805
2005 modern 179 #19,467
2006 modern 179 #19,592
2007 modern 188 #19,204
2008 modern 188 #19,387
2009 modern 194 #19,398
2010 modern 198 #19,577
2011 modern 189 #19,997
2012 modern 198 #19,340
2013 modern 203 #19,327
2014 modern 208 #19,194
2015 modern 204 #19,331
2016 modern 204 #19,320

Geography

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Where Mulvennas are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ13, IZ11, High Crosshill, IZ12 and Coventry. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ13 West Dunbartonshire
2 IZ11 West Dunbartonshire
3 High Crosshill South Lanarkshire
4 IZ12 West Dunbartonshire
5 Coventry 026 Coventry

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mulvenna

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mulvenna

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mulvenna, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Mulvenna surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mulvenna household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Mulvenna is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mulvenna is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mulvenna falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mulvenna is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Mulvenna

The surname Mulvenna is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 17th century. It is believed to be an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Maoilmheadha, which means "descendant of the devoted one" or "descendant of the bald dog-keeper."

The earliest known record of the name Mulvenna appears in the Hearth Money Rolls of the 1660s, which were tax records compiled by the English government in Ireland. These rolls show several households with the surname Mulvenna in County Fermanagh, indicating that the name was well-established in that region by the mid-17th century.

The Mulvenna name is primarily associated with the counties of Fermanagh and Tyrone in the northern part of Ireland. It is possible that the name is derived from a placename, as many Irish surnames have their origins in the names of towns, villages, or geographical features.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Mulvenna was Patrick Mulvenna, a Catholic priest who was born in County Fermanagh in 1790. He was a prominent figure in the Irish nationalist movement and played a role in the events leading up to the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Another significant figure was John Mulvenna, a 19th-century Irish poet and songwriter who was born in County Tyrone in 1821. He was known for his patriotic ballads and poems, which celebrated Irish culture and history.

In the 20th century, James Mulvenna (1896-1981) was a prominent Irish politician who served as a member of the Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Irish parliament) for several terms, representing County Fermanagh.

More recently, Seamus Mulvenna (born 1948) is a well-known Irish writer and academic who has published numerous works on Irish literature and culture. He has been a professor at several universities in Ireland and the United States.

One of the most notable modern-day figures with the surname Mulvenna is Geraldine Mulvenna, an Irish actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in various films and television shows and has directed several short films and documentaries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mulvenna families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mulvenna 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. Lanarkshire leads with 4 Mulvennas recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.71x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 4 12.71x
West Lothian 2 136.05x
Dunbartonshire 1 38.31x
Lancashire 1 0.87x
Renfrewshire 1 13.26x
Royal Navy 1 86.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 4 Mulvennas recorded in 1881 and an index of 51.41x.

Place Total Index
Govan 4 51.41x
Uphall 2 1250.00x
Dumbarton 1 277.78x
Thornton In Fylde 1 400.00x
West Greenock 1 74.07x

Top male names

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

Name Count
Neil 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mulvenna households.

Occupation Count
Seaman 1

FAQ

Mulvenna surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mulvenna surname in 1881?

In 1881, 9 people were recorded with the Mulvenna surname. That placed it at #32,416 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mulvenna surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 204 in 2016. That gives Mulvenna a modern rank of #19,320.

What does the Mulvenna surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Irish Gaelic words 'meall' meaning 'hill' and 'beannach' meaning 'peaked'.

What does the Mulvenna map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mulvenna 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.