MULLIGAN
Ó Maolagáin is a Gaelic patronymic from the Irish language, meaning ‘descendant of Maolagán’. The element maol denotes a bald or tonsured head, while agán is a diminutive suffix signifying ‘little’. It is therefore a nickname originally applied to a person with a short, shaven or tonsured appearance, which over time became a hereditary family name.
The surname is historically linked to the O’Maolagain sept of the north‑western province of Ulster. Their chiefs held lordship over the territory known as Tir MacCarthain, situated in the baronies of Boylagh and Raphoe in County Donegal. The family also exercised influence in adjoining counties of Fermanagh and Monaghan until the mid‑17th century, when many were dispossessed as a result of the Plantation of Ulster. By 1659 the clan had largely migrated southwards and were recorded in significant numbers around the Longford‑Westmeath area.
Recorded mentions of the name date back to the early 15th century. The earliest surviving spelling is that of John O'Mulligan, Bishop of Leighlin, dated 1431 in the ecclesiastical records of County Carlow, during the reign of King Henry V. During the Irish Famine, between 1846 and 1851 a total of 115 emigrants bearing the name Mulligan appear in the passenger records for the port of New York. The name spread widely through the Irish diaspora, becoming common in the United States, particularly New York, Massachusetts and California, as well as in Australia, Canada and England.
Several prominent individuals have carried the name. In the nineteenth century, Charles J. Mulligan (1866 – 1916) was born in County Tyrone, and Rev. William Mulligan, who died in 1883, served as Professor of Mathematics at Queen’s College, Belfast. An earlier bearer is Hercules Mulligan, a confidential correspondent to George Washington, born in Coleraine in 1740 and deceased in New York in 1825.
Because of Anglicisation and the processes of immigration, the surname has acquired many variant spellings, including Molligan, Muligan, Mullikin, Mullikine, Mulliken, Mulingan and Miligan. The original Gaelic form Ó Maolagáin remains the standard reference point for genealogical research.
Typical given names associated with the Mulligan surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Martin
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Peter
- Thomas
Female
- Amanda
- Angela
- Catherine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Kathleen
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
Similar and related surnames
- Malaghan
- Malagon
- Malagoni
- Malagonia
- Malakin
- Malcohn
- Malcon
- Malekin
- Malgan
- Malgon
- Maligan
- Malikin
- Malkan
- Malkani
- Malken
- Malkin
- Malkoun
- Mallaghan
- Malligan
- Mallkin
- Malugani
- Maulkin
- Melican
- Melikian
- Melkin
- Melkuhn
- Mellican
- Melligan
- Miellkin
- Milcon
- Milican
- Miligan
- Miliken
- Milken
- Milkin
- Millagan
- Millegan
- Milleken
- Millgan
- Milliagan
- Millican
- Milligan
- Millighan
- Millikan
- Milliken
- Millikin
- Millken
- Molcan
- Molkin
- Mollaghan
- Mollekin
- Mollicone
- Molligan
- Mulgan
- Muligan
- Muligen
- Mulighan
- Mulkeen
- Mulkin
- Mullagan
- Mullaghan
- Mullegan
- Mullgan
- Mullian
- Mullican
- Mulligen
- Mulligham
- Mullighan
- Mulligun
- Mulliken
- Mullikin
- Mullinar
- Mullinax
- Mullinay
- Mulliner
- Mullinex
- Mullingan
- Mullinor
- Mullison
- Mulqueen
- Mulquin
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Mulligan in...
Braille
⠍⠥⠇⠇⠊⠛⠁⠝
Morse
--..-.-...-....--..--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 5,785 people named Mulligan in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,639th most common surname in Britain. Around 89 in a million people in Britain are named Mulligan.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Mulligan
- Carey Mulligan - Actress
- Hercules Mulligan - Tailor and spy during the American Revolutionary War (1740 to 1825)
- Andy Mulligan - Children's writer
- Mary Mulligan - Politician
- Mick Mulligan - Jazz bandleader (1928 to 2006)
- Kevin Mulligan - Philosopher
- Patrick Mulligan - Catholic bishop (1912 to 1990)
- Owen Mulligan - Gaelic football player
- George Mulligan - American sports promoter (1880 to 1955)
- Dave Mulligan - New Zealand football player
- Charles Mulligan - American artist (1866 to 1916)
- Nathan Mulligan - Football player
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.