The Mulligan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,590 people carried this name — #2,469 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 20,200 people counted. That is up 3% from 14,229 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Mulligan surname

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Maolagáin, from maolagán (“person with cropped hair”), from maol (“bald”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Mulligan» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 105 births for the Mulligan name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 4,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin, Mayo, and Monaghan.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 38
Ulster 34
Leinster 32
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Mulligan was recorded 16 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1361st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 40. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Mulligan in American newspapers,
1876–1884.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Mulligan
Daily Kennebec Journal 1884-10-25
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Mulligan
Daily Kennebec Journal 1884-09-19
Newspaper page from The People carrying the name Mulligan
The People 1876-06-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,357 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Mulligan in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

29,699 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Mulligan. The most, 4,969, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 3.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 13,365
Tasmania 6,423
Victoria 3,512
Queensland 2,971
Western Australia 1,615
South Australia 1,611
ACT (Canberra) 121
Northern Territory 38

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Mulligan.

Who carried it

People named Mulligan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Frances M. Hill
    Frances M. Hill 1799–1884 · teacher
  • James A. Mulligan
    James A. Mulligan 1829–1864 · military officer
  • James Venture Mulligan
    James Venture Mulligan 1837–1907 · explorer
  • Charles Mulligan
    Charles Mulligan 1866–1916 · sculptor
  • George Mulligan
    George Mulligan 1880–1955

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 150 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Mulligan,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States6,756 records

6,756 records of the Mulligan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,733
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,716
  • Other U.S. records 2,307
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hugh F. Mulligan

    Born 1903 in Maine. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts; driver. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1975, buried at Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, Augusta, Maine.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget Mulligan

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 24; servant. From Cork, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Vernon G. Mulligan

    Born 1930; from Washington County, Maryland. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 6,756 records for Mulligan in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia906 records

906 records of the Mulligan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 358
  • Tasmanian Names Index 239
  • Other Australian records 309
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Mulligan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Pestongee Bomangee, sailing from Dublin in 1848. Native of Downpatrick, Down. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850. Married 1850 in Brighton, Tasmania, aged 41.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Mulligan

    Died 1887 in Brighton, Tasmania, aged 82. Will registered in Tasmania in 1887.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Eliza Mulligan

    Born 1858 in Port Sorell, Tasmania. Died 1877 in Port Sorell, Tasmania, aged 18.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 906 records for Mulligan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada81 records

81 records of the Mulligan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 17
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 14
  • Other Canadian records 50
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Mulligan

    Buried in 1980 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 72.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Joseph Mulligan

    Died 1971; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Eliza Jane Mulligan

    Died 1960; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 81 records for Mulligan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand25 records

25 records of the Mulligan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 20
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ebenezer Martin Mulligan

    Died 1942, aged 86; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Philip Mulligan

    Buried in 1895 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 21.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Mulligan

    Died 1923, aged 77; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 25 records for Mulligan in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom20 records

20 records of the Mulligan name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 16
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 3
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Percival Mulligan

    Born 1889 at Belfast. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. Mulligan

    Bedfordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record James Anderson Mulligan

    Born 1899 at Londonderry. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 20 records for Mulligan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France6 records

6 records of the Mulligan name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Francis Joseph Mulligan

    Born 1919 in Paris; died 1977 in Armentières (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Ann Mulligan

    Born 1920 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Mulligan in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Mulligan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Basil Wilfred Mulligan

    Married in 1947 in Nijmegen.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Francois Mulligan

    Died 1847 in Tilburg.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Mulligan in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the Mulligan name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Mulligan

    Died 1976; buried at Glenamaddy (New), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martin Mulligan

    Died 1972; buried at Glenamaddy (New), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Mulligan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Mulligan is.
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Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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