2000
#416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,286
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.05
Uncommon Last name
Mullins
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoláin, meaning "descendant of the devotee of Saint John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 77,788 Americans carry the last name Mullins. That puts it at #482 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,406 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mullins 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mullins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
78K
1 in 4,406
Census rank
#482
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
68K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 67,835 bearers of the surname Mullins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 482nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mullins
The surname Mullins is an English name that originated in medieval times. It is derived from the Old English word "muln" or "mulne," meaning a mill or grinding mill. This suggests that the original bearers of the name were likely associated with the operation or ownership of a mill.
In the early days, the name appeared in various spellings, including Mulin, Mullin, and Mullyn. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions during that period.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century. One notable example is found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273, where a certain William Mullin is mentioned.
The Mullins name has also been linked to certain place names. For instance, the village of Mullinburn in Hertfordshire, England, may have derived its name from the Mullins family who resided there.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Mullins surname. One such person was Giles Mullins (c. 1550 - c. 1600), an English merchant and one of the earliest settlers of Virginia in the United States.
Another prominent figure was Priscilla Mullins (c. 1602 - c. 1680), who was among the Mayflower passengers and one of the few survivors of the harsh first winter in the Plymouth Colony.
In the world of literature, Mary Mullins (1914 - 1988) was an American writer and poet, best known for her Newbery Medal-winning book "A Ring of Endless Light."
The arts have also seen notable Mullins, such as Robert Mullins (1925 - 2008), an American painter and printmaker renowned for his abstract expressionist works.
Lastly, in the realm of sports, Terrance Mullins (born 1959) was a professional basketball player who played in the NBA for several teams, including the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.
While the Mullins name has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread globally, with bearers of this surname found in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mullins
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mullins 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 Mullins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 58,360
- Black or African American6.6% · 4,503
- Two or more races4.0% · 2,744
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 1,625
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 310
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 293
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mullins
Mullins 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
#463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,646
+1,360 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 24.29
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,835
-3,811 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 22.70
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #416 | 70,286 | 26.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #463 | 71,646 | 24.29 | +1,360 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #482 | 67,835 | 22.70 | -3,811 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 19 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 Mullins 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 | #463 | #482 | -4.1% |
| Count | 71,646 | 67,835 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 24.29 | 22.70 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mullins bearers went from 71,646 to 67,835 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #463 to #482.
FAQ
Mullins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mullins?
Name Census estimates that about 77,788 living Americans carry the surname Mullins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,406 residents.
How common is Mullins?
Mullins ranks #482 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 67,835 people with the surname Mullins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (77,788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Mullins.
Has Mullins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mullins went from 71,646 recorded bearers to 67,835. That is a decrease of 3,811 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #463 to #482.
What does the Census say about the background of Mullins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mullins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Mullins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (58,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mullins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Black (6.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Mullins (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 Mullins mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoláin, meaning "descendant of the devotee of Saint John." 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 Mullins (22.70 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 people share the surname Mullins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.