Meaning and background
The story behind Mulligan
Mulligan is an Irish surname linked explicitly to Milligan in the Dictionary of American Family Names. Milligan is an Anglicized form of Ó Maolagáin, explained as descendant of Maoileagán. The personal name behind it is a double diminutive of maol, meaning bald or tonsured. That is an inherited surname chain rather than a description required of the present bearer, and it provides a more precise family story than a single modern nickname gloss.
- Origin
- Irish variant of Milligan, from Ó Maolagáin, descendant of Maoileagán; the personal name derives from maol, bald or tonsured. Source · Source 2
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About Mulligan
Recorded as a dog’s name
Mulligan appears in 4 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/mʌlɪɡən/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/mʌlɪɡən/ · primary stress on syllable 1M AH1 L IH0 G AH0 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.