Mullins Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Mullins Family History

Mullins Family History

The ancient origin of the name Mullins was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Mullins include O'Mellan, Mullen, Moylan, Mullin and Mulling. This name originated from several very distinct sources. It can be an abbreviation of McMullen, a Scottish surname borne by many of the seventeenth century settlers in Ulster. It can also be one of the anglicized forms of the Irish O'Maolain, which is possibly derived from the Gaelic word 'maol' meaning 'bald'. Other forms besides Mullins are Mullen and Mullan in Connacht, and Mullane and Mullin in Cork, Limerick and Clare. Mullins, Mulling and Mullings are also found in Cornwall in England. As a historic sept O'Mullan belongs to Galway. Their eponymous ancestor, Mullan, was descended from a King of Connacht. Another sept of O'Mullan or O'Muen existed in Ulster, in Tyrone and Derry, and are not to be confounded with the planter McMullane as one of the principal septs under the O'Cahans. The most famous of this sept was Shane Crosagh O'Mullan, the Derry rapparee. The variant Moylan is found in Munster being an attenuated form of Mullins.The Mullins family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Mullins descendants.