Mulkey
A surname of uncertain origin, probably an altered form of an older Irish or English name.
The #5,724 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,940 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Mulkey is not securely explained in the historical sources provided. It may be an altered spelling of an older name beginning with Mul-, a common element in Irish surnames, but the exact original form is unclear. Because the available excerpts only mention the name in passing and do not give a derivation, any specific etymology would be speculative.
History
The name appears in 19th-century American surname lists, showing that it was already established in the United States by that time. Its modern distribution is relatively modest, which is consistent with a family name that developed through local spelling variation or anglicization. No notable origin story can be confirmed from the excerpts alone.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name is uncommon enough that 19th-century compilers noticed it as a distinct surname form, even though they did not explain its origin.
From the historical record
“SwoPE, Tatum, Yundt, Profilet, Pumpelly, Munger, and Uricoechea. Among her undergraduates (1858) are Gandy, Kitchell, Mulkey, Apgar, Dobie, Naph- thaly, and Orth. Both Blight and Bleight are found in Philadelphia ; and the fii'st name appears in our Directory for 1858. A Mr. Shouse, at the South, choused his…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)