Mullett; english or irish decent ?

Question

my last name is mullett, does anyone know from where it decented and any other info about the name. thanks any info helpful xx

Answer 1

Mullet

Last name origins & meanings:

English and French: from Middle English molet, mulet ‘mullet’, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or seller of these fish.

nickname from a diminutive of Mule 2.

It is not an Irish name.

It can have either one or two 't's, it makes no difference.

A mullet is also a mark of cadency used in Heraldry (e.g. on coat of arms) the surname Mullet might even originate from that, e.g. descendant of the third son.

Differences or Marks of Cadency are used in heraldry to distinguish the various branches or cadets of one family. In order of age, the following apply:

3rd son - Mullet (five pointed star)

The star symbolizes honor, achievement and hope. Stars with wavy points are emblems of God's goodness, or some other eminence that elevated the first bearer above the common people. Stars, estoiles and mullets are often confused because of their similarity, which is not helped by the fact that no definite lines have ever officially been followed regarding their specific differences. In England stars with wavy rays are called estoiles, when they are straight they are called mullets, and technically there is no such thing as a star. A mullet has five points unless another number is specified, which it often is, but an estoile can have any number so one must be provided. However, in Scotland the distinction between a mullet and a star is that a mullet is pierced, which actually makes it a spur-revel, and a star is whole. In France the definition of a mullet is different yet again; this time, it has no less than six points.

Answer 2

The following information came from www.ancestry.com

Mullett Name Meaning and History

English: variant spelling of Mullet.

Irish (County Wexford): possibly a variant of Millett.

Surname: Mullett

This interesting and unusual surname is a diminutive of Mule, which is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is from a nickname for a stubborn person, or a metonymic occupational name for a driver of pack-animals, derived from the Middle English (1200 - 1500) "mule", mule, from the Old English pre 7th Century "mul", similar to the Old French "mule", both of which are derived from the Latin "mula". This is an example of that sizeable group of early European surnames that were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames. The nicknames were given in the first instance with reference to a variety of characteristics, such as physical attributes or peculiarities, mental and moral characteristics, supposed resemblance to an animal's or bird's appearance or disposition, habits of dress, and occupation. The modern surname can be found as Mule, Moule, and Mowl(e), and the diminutives include Mullet and Mullett. Among the recordings in London are the marriage of Thomas Mullett and Elizabeth Sherrrington on April 23rd 1616 at St. Peter's, Cornhill, and the christening of John, son of Andrew and Elizabeth Mullett, on January 5th 1630 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of David le Mul, which was dated 1199, The Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire, during the reign of King Richard 1, "The Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

http://www.surnamedb.com/

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Confused? that happens when people start with the belief that any name is limited to one background/ origin/ etc.

All of the above are probably correct.  They may have nothing to do with you.  Example.. one of my lines was convinced that they WERE Irish, even though no one had located the immigrant ancestors.  The family name was a variation of something else (which no one had realized), and when the original was found.. the original came from a little village in Lincolnshire, England.

As it turned out.. the WIFE of the family head was actually pretty pure Irish.  So.. family members were wrong about the name being Irish.. but they were right about being of Irish lineage.

You have to do the tracing to be certain where YOUR Mullet ancestor (the person) immigrated from. And don't forget.. your ancestry is not just the one name.  You have 8 gr grandparents, and all have different surnames. That doubles to 16, the next generation back.  Your ancestry is equally part of ALL of them.