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Mulvey Surname Meaning & Origin

What the Mulvey last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.

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Meaning and origin of the Mulvey last name

Meaning of the Mulvey last name: descendant of Maolmiadhach (honourable). The Mulvey surname comes from Gaelic Ó Maoilmhiadhaigh, a name often explained as "descendant of the honourable one". The family belonged to County Leitrim, and the last name is still most common there and in nearby Roscommon and Longford. A curious detail of this family name meaning: for centuries the Mulveys stayed close to their home district along the upper Shannon, rather than scattering like many Irish names.

Arms associated with the Mulvey name

In Gaelic Ireland heraldry was often linked with a whole sept rather than one person, and the coat of arms associated with the Mulvey name grew in that custom.

Get your full Mulvey family history

This is only a glimpse of the Mulvey story. The full Mulvey history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Mulvey coat of arms. Get the full Mulvey report.

Mulvey name FAQ

What does the Mulvey name mean?

Descendant of Maolmiadhach (honourable). Common variants include Mulvee, Mulvy.

Where does the Mulvey surname come from?

It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States and England.

Is there a Mulvey coat of arms?

Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Mulvey coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.

Sources: Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland.