Mulholland — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Maolchalann
Meaning: 'devotee of St Calann'
Traditional stronghold: Antrim, Derry
Pronunciation: mul-HOLL-and; Irish Ó Maolchalann: oh mwale-KHAL-an
History of the Mulholland name
Mulholland is Ó Maolchalann, 'descendant of the devotee of Calann'. The family's proudest distinction was as hereditary keepers of the Bell of St Patrick, the Clog an Udhachta or Bell of the Testament, which they guarded for centuries until it passed in the nineteenth century to what is now the National Museum of Ireland. Their territory lay in south Derry around Loughinsholin, and the name later became strongly associated with Belfast and the Lagan valley. In America the name is written across Los Angeles, whose water system and famous drive commemorate the Belfast-born engineer William Mulholland.
Variants: Mulhollan · Milholland · Maholland
Famous bearers of the name
- William Mulholland — Belfast-born engineer who built the Los Angeles water system; Mulholland Drive bears his name.
- Carolyn Mulholland — Lurgan-born sculptor, one of Ireland's leading public artists.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Connor · Quinn · Doherty · McDonnell · McLoughlin · Kane · Cunningham · McGee