The Alcorn surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,884 people carried this name — #4,498 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 37,500 people counted. That is up 2% from 7,716 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Alcorn surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley explains it as ‘the son of Alcuin’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Richard Halchein, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 47 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Alcorn name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Donegal and Londonderry.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 6

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In print

Alcorn in American newspapers,
1875–1893.

Newspaper page from The Troy Herald carrying the name Alcorn
The Troy Herald 1875-10-13
Newspaper page from The Cairo Bulletin carrying the name Alcorn
The Cairo Bulletin 1875-10-09
Newspaper page from Iron County Register carrying the name Alcorn
Iron County Register 1893-03-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 54,767 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Alcorn in Australian newspapers,
1810s–1990s.

20,214 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Alcorn. The most, 4,651, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 13,792
Queensland 3,942
Victoria 1,193
Western Australia 679
South Australia 430
ACT (Canberra) 74
Tasmania 55
Northern Territory 18

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Alcorn.

Who carried it

People named Alcorn,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James L. Alcorn
    James L. Alcorn 1816–1894 · lawyer
  • George Oscar Alcorn
    George Oscar Alcorn 1850–1930 · lawyer
  • Robert Franklin Alcorn
    Robert Franklin Alcorn 1897–1964
  • Robert Alcorn 1836– · politician
  • Mary Alcorn 1866–1928 · businessperson
  • Hugh M. Alcorn 1872–1955 · lawyer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Alcorn,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States562 records

562 records of the Alcorn name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 266
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 115
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 64
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 55
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 37
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 16
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 7
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ivan Alcorn

    Born 1919 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; farm hand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1995, buried at Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jane Alcorn

    Arrived at New York in 1835 aboard the Saint George from Liverpool, aged 55; matron. From Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Dale Robert Alcorn

    Born 1950; from Redondo Beach, California. U.S. Army; killed in action 1969 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 562 records for Alcorn in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia300 records

300 records of the Alcorn name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 111
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 91
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 48
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 46
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Henry Alcorn

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Mary, arriving 1819; ticket of leave 1829. Native of Ire Londonderry.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margt Alcorn

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Bombay, aged 21; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Fergus F. Alcorn

    Gentleman of Canterbury, Victoria; died 1923.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 300 records for Alcorn in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada108 records

108 records of the Alcorn name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 97
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 6
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Austin Stewart Alcorn

    Died 1945 in Berwick, Kings, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Kate Alcorn

    Died 1963; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Joseph Thomas Alcorn

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 108 records for Alcorn in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom12 records

12 records of the Alcorn name in the United Kingdom
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 6
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
  • Stirling Council burial records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Alcorn

    Died 1948, aged 48; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John Mills Alcorn

    Born 1888. Died 1917. Named in the George Heriot's School roll of honour, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. C. Alcorn

    Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Alcorn in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Alcorn.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Alcorn is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Alcorn volume
Scroll to Top