McMullen
An Irish and Scottish surname meaning “son of Mullen,” ultimately from a Gaelic personal name.
The #1,742 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,028 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McMullen is a patronymic surname built on the Gaelic prefix Mac, meaning “son of,” plus a personal name rendered as Mullen. In practice, the second element is usually taken to reflect an Irish Gaelic name such as Maolán or a related form, though older sources do not always agree on the exact original personal name. The name therefore means roughly “son of Mullen” or “descendant of Mullen.”
History
McMullen is found chiefly in Ireland and in places shaped by Irish migration, especially Scotland, North America, and Australia. In English-language records it often appears alongside other Mac/Mc surnames from Ulster and western Scotland, where spelling could vary widely before standardization. Modern bearers include a mix of Irish and Scottish family lines that may not all share a single local origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Mc and Mac were often written loosely in older records, related families can show up under several spellings in the same parish or census page.
From the historical record
“McMenaman, and McMineman ; McMann, McManus, McMath, McMenemy, McMillen, McMinnis ; Mc- Morrow, McMorry, and McMurry ; McMullen, McMuRPHY, McNabb, McNally, ]McNamara, Mc- Namee, McNarlen, McNaught, McNaughten; Mc- Neal, McNeil, and McNeill ; McNealy, McNear,”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)