BEGINNERS' BLAS
SLOINNTE/ SURNAMES

Ó Maol . . .
The element maol appears at the beginning of many Irish surnames and can give rise to confusion as it does not always have uniformity of meaning in all the surnames in which it appears. The most common meaning ascribed to maol nowadays is bald or blunt, and some names take their meaning from this, but in the past the word also had other meanings and it is in these meanings that most surnames containing maol have their origin. Almost invariably, they are Ó surnames.
First, two very common surnames which mean descendant of the bald one, and both of which employ a diminutive form, as we have seen in other surnames – Ó Maoláin, anglicised Mullan or Mullane, and Ó Maolagáin, anglicised Mulligan.

Perhaps the largest distinctive group of maol surnames are those which contain maol and then the name of a saint. In this context maol appears to be a noun meaning follower of, not unlike giolla, as discussed earlier in the series. It may have gained this connotation as the tonsure, or shaving of the head, was a sign and symbol of devotion. Common surnames which follow this pattern are Ó Maoilbhríde (follower of Bridget) / Mulbride, Ó Maolphádraig / Mulpatrick, Ó Maoilchiaráin / Mulhearne, and Ó Maoileoin (follower of John). Ó Maoilmhichíl / Mulvihill and Ó Maoileanaigh / Mullaney (follower of St. Seanach) also follow this pattern, although these latter names are less common in Ulster.

Maol, in another group of surnames appears to have the meaning brave leader, or warrior. Within the name it is very often followed by a qualifying adjective or noun. Ó Maoilriabhaigh (Mulreavy) illustrates this well, where maol is being qualified by the adjective riabhach (speckled) which has gone into its genitive form. Aladh is another adjective meaning speckled, and Ó Maolalaidh (Mulally) derives from its combination with maol. Ó Maolchatha, from battle-leader, has given rise to the anglicised form Mulcahy, and Ó Maoldúin, leader of the fort, gives us Muldoon. Ó Maolchraoibhe, leader of Craobh, a placename, again in the genitive, gives us Mulgrew.
There are also some very interesting translations of names containing maol. Ó Maoltuile, meaning devotee of the will of God, has been taken to mean Flood (from the noun tuile) and has given rise to that surname. It is also found as Tully. Another interesting one is Ó Maol an Mhuaidh (leader of nobility), this has been variously rendered as Molloy, and Molyneux.

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