Mullen surname meaning

Mullen is an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maoláin, “descendant of Maolán.” Maolán is a byname meaning “tonsured one” or “devotee,” from a diminutive of maol, “bald.” Related Gaelic spellings Ó Maoileáin and Ó Maoilín produced many English vowels, so Mullin, Mullins, Mullan, and Mullane are closely related forms. DAFN also notes a rare Dutch Van der Mullen as a separate stream. Parent’s name is high confidence for the Ó Maoláin patronymic that dictionary and Irish onomastic sources treat as the core American explanation.