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Irish surname

Mulligan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Maolagáin; Ó Maolacháin · Ó Maolagáin, 'descendant of Maolagán' (diminutive of maol, bald); Ó Maolacháin, 'descendant of Maolachán' (from maol, bald)

Woulfe (1923) gives Mulligan as an anglicised form of Ó Maolagáin, 'descendant of Maolagán', a Tirconnell family who were chiefs of Tir MacCarthainn. He says the rare name Ó Maolacháin is also generally anglicised Mulligan in Connacht. In 1890 Mulligan births were chiefly in Dublin, Mayo and Monaghan.

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Coat of arms associated with the Mulligan surname
Irish formÓ Maolagáin; Ó Maolacháin
MeaningÓ Maolagáin, 'descendant of Maolagán' (diminutive of maol, bald); Ó Maolacháin, 'descendant of Maolachán' (from maol, bald)
CountiesDublin, Mayo, Monaghan, Donegal
Other spellings3
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Mulligan crest gifts

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Origin of the Mulligan name

Woulfe: Ó Maolagáin was a Tirconnell family, chiefs of Tir MacCarthainn in the east of the barony of Boylagh, who 'seem to have been dispossessed and dispersed at an early period'. At the end of the 16th century the name was most frequent in Ulster but not uncommon elsewhere. Ó Maolacháin, a rare surname, is generally anglicised Mulligan in Connacht.[1][2]

  1. End of the 16th centuryÓ Maolagáin most frequent in Ulster, not uncommon in the other provinces.[1]
  2. 1740Hercules Mulligan born in Coleraine, Ireland.[6]
  3. 1746Hercules Mulligan's family emigrates to New York.[6]
  4. 1890105 Mulligan births registered, chiefly in Dublin, Mayo and Monaghan.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. DublinFirst county named for Mulligan births in 1890.[5]
Co. MayoAmong the counties where Mulligan was principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. MonaghanAmong the counties where Mulligan was principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. DonegalÓ Maolagáin chiefs of Tir MacCarthainn, in the east of the barony of Boylagh, a Donegal barony.[1][4]

Notable people named Mulligan

Hercules Mulligan1740–1825Born in Coleraine; Trinity Church, New York, where he is buried, calls him an 'Irish American tailor and spy during the Revolutionary War'.[6]

Other spellings

Mullagan · Mulgan · O Mullegan[1]

The Mulligan coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Mulligan surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Mulligan surname: questions

What does the surname Mulligan mean?

Woulfe gives Mulligan as a form of Ó Maolagáin, 'descendant of Maolagán', a diminutive of maol, bald.[1]

Is Mulligan an Irish name?

Yes. Woulfe lists Mulligan as an anglicised form of Ó Maolagáin, a Tirconnell family, and, in Connacht, of the rare name Ó Maolacháin.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Mulligan name from?

Woulfe places the Ó Maolagáin chiefs in Tir MacCarthainn, in the east of the barony of Boylagh in Tirconnell; Boylagh is a barony of Co. Donegal. In 1890 Mulligan births were chiefly in Dublin, Mayo and Monaghan.[1][4][5]

Are Mulligan and Milligan the same name?

They are related forms. Woulfe gives Ó Maoileagáin (Milligan, Millican) as an attenuated form of Ó Maolagáin, and prints (Mulligan) in brackets among its forms.[3][1]

Sources

  1. Ó Maolagáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-maolagain.php
  2. Ó Maolacháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-maolachain.php
  3. Ó Maoileagáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-maoileagain.php
  4. Baollaigh/Boylagh (barony) — Placenames Database of Ireland, logainm.ie. logainm.ie/en/56
  5. Mulligan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/mulligan.php
  6. Hercules Mulligan and Trinity, Trinity Church Wall Street (New York). trinitychurchnyc.org/stories-news/hercules-mulligan-and-trinity

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).