The mullets are a family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and in some species in fresh water also. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since Roman times. The family includes about 80 species in 17 genera.

Taxonomically, the family is the sole member of the Mugiliformes, but as Nelson says, "there has been much disagreement concerning the relationships" of this family. The presence of fin spines clearly indicates membership in the superorder Acanthopterygii, and in the 1960s Gosline classed them as primitive perciforms, while others have grouped them in Atheriniformes.

A number of species of the goatfishes (Mullidae), in particular the red mullet and others in the genus Mullus, are also commonly known as "mullets".

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