2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mulhare
An Irish surname meaning someone from the wooded place or mill house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 141 Americans carry the last name Mulhare. That puts it at #139,785 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,430,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mulhare surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
141
1 in 2,430,882
Census rank
#139,785
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
123
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 123 bearers of the surname Mulhare in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 139785th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhare, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mulhare
The surname Mulhare originated in Ireland, specifically in the county of Westmeath. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Maol Chiarair," which means "the tonsured servant or devotee of St. Ciaran." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name had a connection to the monastic settlement or church dedicated to St. Ciaran in Westmeath.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Mulhare can be traced back to the 16th century. In the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, which were official records of the English government in Ireland during that period, there are multiple references to individuals with the surname Mulhare or variations such as Mulhery or Mulhaire.
One notable early bearer of the name was Donough Mulhare, who was mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters in the year 1576. The Annals of the Four Masters is a celebrated chronicle of medieval Irish history, compiled in the early 17th century by a group of Franciscan scholars.
In the 17th century, the Mulhare family was well-established in the parish of Kilbride, County Westmeath. Several members of the family held prominent positions in the local community during this time, including Patrick Mulhare, who served as a priest in the parish in the late 1600s.
As the Mulhare family spread across Ireland, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Mulhaire, Mulherry, and Mulherrin. One notable figure from this period was James Mulhaire, an Irish soldier who fought in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, during the Williamite War in Ireland.
In the 18th century, the Mulhares continued to play a significant role in the county of Westmeath. John Mulhare, born in 1712, was a landowner and member of the local gentry. His son, also named John Mulhare (1745-1818), was a prominent figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, serving as a captain in the rebel forces.
Another notable bearer of the name Mulhare was Mary Mulhare (1799-1874), a famous Irish storyteller and folklore collector from County Westmeath. Her collection of traditional tales and legends from the region has been invaluable in preserving Irish cultural heritage.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname Mulhare emigrated from Ireland to various parts of the English-speaking world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This diaspora has contributed to the global distribution of the name and its various spellings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mulhare
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhare, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mulhare bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mulhare surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 3
- Black or African American1.6% · 2
- Two or more races1.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mulhare
Mulhare appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,358 places
2020
#139,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+8 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,356 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,358 places |
| 2020 | #139,785 | 123 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 4,356 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mulhare surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #144,141 | #139,785 | 3.0% |
| Count | 115 | 123 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mulhare bearers went from 115 to 123 (+7.0% change). The surname moved up 4,356 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #139,785.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mulhare
FAQ
Mulhare surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mulhare?
Name Census estimates that about 141 living Americans carry the surname Mulhare. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,430,882 residents.
How common is Mulhare?
Mulhare ranks #139,785 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 123 people with the surname Mulhare. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (141), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mulhare.
Has Mulhare become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mulhare went from 115 recorded bearers to 123. That is an increase of 8 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #139,785.
What does the Census say about the background of Mulhare?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mulhare, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mulhare in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mulhare appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mulhare (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mulhare mean?
An Irish surname meaning someone from the wooded place or mill house. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mulhare (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Mulhare?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.