Surname MacMullens - Meaning and Origin
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MacMullens: What does the surname MacMullens mean?
The last name MacMullens is of Scottish origin and is a variant of the surname McMullen. It is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Maoláin," which translates to "son of the tonsured one." "Tonsure" refers to the practice in Christian churches of cutting or shaving hair from the scalp as a symbol of religious devotion or humility. Therefore, the "tonsured one" could refer to a servant of the church or a religious devotee. People named MacMullens or McMullen might be descendants of religious figures or people who were affiliated with the church in their ancestry. Please note that surname meanings can be speculative, as they have evolved and morphed over centuries, were often given based on a unique characteristic, occupation, or trait of the initial bearer, and can have multiple interpretations.
Order DNA origin analysisMacMullens: Where does the name MacMullens come from?
The surname MacMullens is of Scottish origin. It is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Mullen, meaning "bald", hence MacMullens can be translated as "son of Mullen". The surname originates from the Scottish Highlands and was first found in Kintyre, where they held a family seat from very early times. Scottish surnames are divided into two categories, Highland and Lowland, where MacMullens belongs to the Highland category.
The name migrated to other English-speaking countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand during the 19th and early 20th centuries, often due to economic opportunities or hardships. Today, individuals with the name MacMullens may be found in these countries as well as in Scotland. However, its distribution is relatively sparse, making it uncommon in any particular region. It's worth noting that variations in spelling, such as McMullens, also exist and may be more prevalent. Due to the diversity of the Scottish diaspora, the surname and its variations can be found worldwide, although specific concentrations are not readily identifiable.
Variations of the surname MacMullens
The surname MacMullens may have various variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin due to regional accents, transcription errors, and changes over time. These could include McMullens, MacMullen, McMullen, McMillan, MacMillan, MacMullan, McMullan, and Mullen.
Since many people were only known by a nickname in early history, translating their name literally when opportunities for census, tax, and official records came could also skew variations. For instance, it's possible some families could have adopted Muldoon, Mullaney, or Mulvihill, as they all loosely originate from the Gaelic name Maolán, a diminutive of "maol" which means bald or tonsured.
The prefixes "Mac" and "Mc" both mean "son of" in Irish and Scottish, so different families may have chosen to use or lose those prefixes over time, leading to more variations like Millan, Millen or Mullan. The name might have also been Anglicized or localized into something like "Mullins" or "Millins".
The variations can also be due to regional accents – for instance, families in Scotland might have used different spellings than families in Ireland. And some of the surnames may have been Americanized upon families’ arrival in the United States.
Famous people with the name MacMullens
- Adrian MacMullen: Canadian professional ice hockey player.
- Cody MacMullen: Canadian professional snowboarder.
- Justice MacMullen: American actress and producer.
- Ted MacMullen: former Canadian professional ice hockey player.
- Erin MacMullen: Canadian professional dancer.
- Joanne MacMullen: Canadian professional synchronized swimmer.
- Andrew MacMullen: American professional sailor.
- Ryan MacMullen: Canadian professional lacrosse player.
- Sean MacMullen: professional stuntman and actor.
- David MacMullen: Canadian professional cyclist.
- Neal MacMullen: American professional basketball player.
- Shelly MacMullen: Canadian professional chef.
- Warren MacMullen: American professional skateboarder.
- Jeffrey MacMullen: North American comic artist and illustrator.
- Tucker MacMullen: American professional soccer player.
- Kaitlyn MacMullen: American professional long-distance runner.
- Gerard MacMullen: Canadian military historian.
- Aubrey MacMullen: Canadian actor and singer.
- Mark MacMullen: former Canadian professional ice hockey player.
- Kyle MacMullen: Canadian professional speed skater.