Surname Mulville - Meaning and Origin
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Mulville: What does the surname Mulville mean?
The surname Mulville is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Maoil Mhichíl," which means "descendant of the devotee of St. Michael." This implies that the ancestors of the Mulville family were likely very religious and particularly devoted to St. Michael, one of the popular saints in Christianity. The surname often signifies a patronymic or ancestral connection to the original bearer who was a devotee of Saint Michael. As with many Irish names, the English spelling has been changed over the years from the original Gaelic spelling through Anglicization, resulting in various versions including Mulvihill, Melville, and Mulville. Therefore, the last name Mulville specifically carries a strong Irish lineage, a religious connection, and an ancestral significance.
Order DNA origin analysisMulville: Where does the name Mulville come from?
The last name Mulville is most commonly found in Ireland today. The name is of Irish origin, thought to either be derived from the Gaelic ó Maolmhuile or its Anglicized form of McMulville, both derived from the Gaelic word meaning "servant of the bald one".
The name is most concentrated in counties Leitrim and Galway, but it can also be found throughout several provinces, such as Ulster, Connacht, and Munster. It may also be found throughout parts of England, mainly in certain towns and cities.
In the United States, the last name Mulville can be found in the northeast, particularly Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York. There are also small but detectable instances of the last name in Chicago, Illinois, due to its Irish-American history, as well as down the West Coast in Oregon and in the Southwest in New Mexico.
More recently, a growing population of Mulvilles in the United States has been detected in Florida with the highest concentration in Miami-Dade County due to the substantial population of individuals with Irish roots.
Variations of the surname Mulville
Generally, variants of a surname originate with a family's migration from one location to another. As such, spellings of the surname Mulville may vary over time and distance. Common variants of the surname Mulville include Muelville, Moulville, Millville, Mullville, and Melville.
These variants, while similar sounding, are often the result of variations in dialect, regional pronunciations, accents, or generational differences. These changes in pronunciation, or spelling, tend to accumulate over time in the various branches of a family tree, and in some cases, a branch of the family might adopt a variant spelling of the family surname altogether.
Other variations, such as surname spelling errors, may also be a source of additional spellings for a surname. For example, Mulville may be written as Malville or Mullvile due to a clerical error. Even alternate spellings based on the phonetics of the surname can occur. In this case, Malville could be an alternate spelling of Mulville, due to its similar sound.
In other cases, "Mac," or "Mc," may be added to the front of a surname as a Scots-Irish prefix, which could also result in an alternate spelling such as MacMulville or McMulville.
Any of these spelling variants of Mulville may be used interchangeably with the original spelling when tracing family history. So, when crafting a family tree, it is essential to research all versions of the surname, to ensure that all family branches are accounted for.
Famous people with the name Mulville
- Ryan Mulville: American professional ice hockey goaltender who plays for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League.
- Chris Mulville: American soccer player who currently plays for FC Boston of the National Arena Soccer League.
- Zev Mulville: Australian magician, actor, and performer.
- Harry Mulville: former Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong in the Victorian Football League.
- General James Mulville: former leader of the Australian Army and Commander of the Australian Defence Force from 11 May 2005 to 5 July 2008.
- Gerry Mulville: former Irish Gaelic football goalkeeper who played for the Louth senior team.
- Elizabeth Mulville: British actress who is best known for her roles in two films: My Summer of Love (2004) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).
- Willie Mulville: American voice actor who is known for his work on The Boondocks, Family Guy, and Invader Zim.
- Paul Mulville: Former New York state senator and member of the New York State Assembly.
- Wendy Mulville: American former actress and celebrity chef, best known for her role in the television series Dexter.