Mulcahy
An Irish surname from a Gaelic personal name meaning “the devotee of Cadhach” or “descendant of Cadhach,” with early Munster roots.
The #5,279 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,815 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mulcahy is generally understood as an Anglicized Irish surname from the Gaelic personal name Cadhach, with the prefix Maol- (often written in older forms as Mul-) meaning “devotee” or “tonsured one.” In older scholarship, the name is commonly explained as meaning something like “devotee of Cadhach” or as a descendant-form built on that personal name. The exact sense of the underlying name Cadhach is not always explained consistently in the older sources, so the etymology is best treated as traditional rather than absolutely certain.
History
The surname is well attested in Irish records by the late 16th century, and Matheson’s work places Mulcahy among recorded Irish surnames in 1568. It is especially associated with Ireland, and like many Gaelic names it took several Anglicized spellings over time. The name is found in both earlier Gaelic forms and later English spellings such as Mulcahy and Cahy.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The older sources record this surname in a surprising variety of spellings, including forms without the initial Mul-.
From the historical record
“1568 MULCAHY. Cahy. 429. Caughy. 429. M'Cahy. 429. Vulcouoha. 488. 1585 MULQUEEN. [Mulligan]. 131.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland