MULVANY Family History

This interesting Irish surname is recorded in the spellings Mulvaney, Mulvany, and Mulvenna. It is an anglicized spelling of the Gaelic "O' Maoilmheana", meaning "the descendant of the devotee of (St.) Meana". "Meana" is a personal name thought to have derived from "mion", meaning mite or small. The name may also be associated with the river Meana, which flows into Lough Neagh at Randalstown, County Antrim, this being the region where the surname is most prolific. This river is now known as the Main.