Muldoon
Muldoon is an Irish family name. It is represented throughout the world where descendants of emigrants of people bearing that name have settled; e.g. USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries.
It is an anglicization of the Irish Ó Maoldúin, "descended from Maoldúin", which in turn was a legendary first name. This name means "Hill-fort", the "fort" coming from the "Duin". This name Máel Dúin was first written down in the book of Lebor na hUidre or the book of Dun Cow. Máel Dúin is thought to be one of the first Irish explorers of the west coast of Scotland, who established the first territory of Dál Riata on the west coast of Scotland. Another Máel Dúin was one of the Kings from Mag Rath in Dál Riata, Western Scotland (see List of the kings of Dál Riata), Máel Dúin mac Conaill (died c. 689).
According to The Surnames of Ireland by Edward MacLysaght, there are three distinct septs of Muldoon: Galway (around Uí Maine), Clare (whose names were generally Anglicised to Malone), and in Co. Fermanagh where the name is most common.
The family motto is Pro Fide Et Patria, Latin for "For Faith and Country".
Famous Muldoons
- Máel Dúin, 8th-century Irish monk
- Bristow Muldoon, Scottish politician
- Enda Muldoon, Gaelic footballer
- Patrick Muldoon, American actor
- Paul Muldoon, Northern Ireland poet
- Pete Muldoon, American ice hockey coach
- Rhys Muldoon, Australian actor
- Sir Robert Muldoon, Prime Minister of New Zealand (1975–1984)
- Sylvan Muldoon, American writer
- William Muldoon, professional wrestler
- Royston Maldoom, choreographer
Places
- Muldoon, A major neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska
- Muldoon Park, a park in Anchorage, Alaska, United States
- Muldoon, Texas, United States
- Muldoon Park, a town park in Pelham, New Hampshire, United States
Other
- Officer Francis Muldoon, a fictional character in the television show "Car 54, Where Are You?" and the movie of the same name
- Seamus Muldoon, fictional character in Survival of the Dead
- Robert Muldoon, a fictional character in the Jurassic Park series of novels and films
- The Muldoons, a rock group featuring the Muldoon family from Detroit
- Solid Muldoon, a supposedly preserved prehistoric body, actually a hoax
- Spotty Muldoon, a fictional character created by Peter Cook, and featured in his 1965 song The Ballad of Spotty Muldoon
- Roberta Muldoon, a fictional character played by John Lithgow in The World According to Garp
- Skip Muldoon, a fictional character in the video game Hitman: Blood Money