MULGREW
Mulgrew is a surname of Irish origin, belonging to the Gaelic family of names that were historically associated with the Christian Church in the British Isles.
The modern spelling of the name derives from the Gaelic patronymic Ó Maolghaoithe, meaning “descendant of Maolghaoithe.” The personal element maol signifies a person who is bald or, in a religious context, one who has undergone a tonsure, while ghaoithe translates as “wind.” Consequently the surname may be read as “descendant of the bald one” or alternatively “descendant of the tonsured one.”
A further Anglicised form, OʼMulcrew, is historically traced to the Old Gaelic OʼMaolchraoibhe, which itself is a variant of the personal name Maolchraoibhe. Two principal meanings are recognised: either the name is composed of maol (in a pagan sense meaning “chief”) joined to craobh (branch), giving “chief of the branch,” or it signifies maol in a transferred sense of “devotee” combined with the name of a saint, Craobh, yielding “devotee of Saint Craobh.” In the 17th‑century census of Ireland it was recorded under the forms OʼMulcreevy, OʼMulcrew, OʼMulgrue and Mulgrew.
Documents provide a clear chronology of the surname’s usage. The earliest confirmed spelling is that of Rory OʼMulcrew, dated 1428 in the medieval records of Dromore, County Tyrone, during the reign of King Henry V. John Petty’s 1659 “census” lists Mulcreevy as a principal name in the barony of Dundalk, County Louth, and OʼMulcreve in the barony of Orior, County Armagh. Hearth money rolls of 1664, held in Dungannon, record the names OʼMulgrew, OʼMulgrue and the more usual OʼMulcrieve. The name continued to appear in church records; for example, on 30 April 1778 Margaret, daughter of Mathew Mulgrew, was christened at Donaghmore, County Tyrone.
In contemporary times Mulgrew remains most numerous in north‑east Ulster, a region encompassing the former counties of Tyrone, Armagh and Louth. The name has, however, spread beyond its original locality and can now be found throughout the United Kingdom and North America, reflecting the wider migration of families bearing the surname.
Overall, the surname Mulgrew illustrates the complex interaction between Gaelic linguistic traditions and the Christianised naming practices of medieval Ireland, preserving a linguistic heritage that continues to be recognisable in the modern name.
Typical given names associated with the Mulgrew surname
Male
- David
- Edward
- Hugh
- James
- John
- Martin
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Sean
- Stephen
- Thomas
Female
- Angela
- Ann
- Anne
- Carol
- Catherine
- Christine
- Clare
- Deirdre
- Elizabeth
- Judith
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Mulgrew in...
Braille
⠍⠥⠇⠛⠗⠑⠺
Morse
--..-.-..--..-...--
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,111 people named Mulgrew in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,798th most common surname in Britain. Around 17 in a million people in Britain are named Mulgrew.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Mulgrew
- Charlie Mulgrew - Scottish football player
- Kate Mulgrew - American actress
- James Mulgrew - Irish comedian
- Jamie Mulgrew - Northern Irish football player
- Tommy Mulgrew - Scottish football player (1929 to 2016)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.