The Cavanagh surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,086 people carried this name — #8,114 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 71,900 people counted. That is up 4% from 3,932 in 2000.

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In Argentina’s national register

At least 299 people named Cavanagh live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 129
City of Buenos Aires 75
Santa Fe 52
Córdoba 32
Salta 11

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland’s registers today

Cavanagh was recorded 18 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1248th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 25. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Cavanagh in American newspapers,
1911.

Newspaper page from The Pensacola Journal carrying the name Cavanagh
The Pensacola Journal 1911-03-22
Newspaper page from The Pensacola Journal carrying the name Cavanagh
The Pensacola Journal 1911-03-19
Newspaper page from The Pensacola Journal carrying the name Cavanagh
The Pensacola Journal 1911-03-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 24,232 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Cavanagh in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

35,690 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cavanagh. The most, 6,967, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 13,918
Queensland 7,277
Victoria 6,073
Western Australia 3,665
South Australia 3,416
Tasmania 677
ACT (Canberra) 552
Northern Territory 69

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

Who carried it

People named Cavanagh,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Christian Davies
    Christian Davies 1666–1739 · entrepreneur
  • John Cavanagh d. 1819 · athlete
  • Patrick Cavanagh d. 1581
  • Mary Cavanagh d. 1869
  • James Cavanagh 1831–1901
  • Mary Cavanagh 1840–1921

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 Cavanagh,
in the records of 8 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 States4,959 records

4,959 records of the Cavanagh name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,946
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,704
  • Other U.S. records 1,309
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Arthur Cavanagh

    Born 1945; from Queens Village, New York. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Irene M. Cavanagh

    Born 1908 in New York. Enlisted 1943 in the Women's Army Corps at New York City; secretary. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at St Philip Neri Cemetery, East Northport, New York.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 22; servant. From Belfast, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 4,959 records for Cavanagh in the United States.

Counts: 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, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,210 records

1,210 records of the Cavanagh name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 517
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 241
  • Other Australian records 452
  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 John Cavanagh

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Navarino, sailing from Kingston in 1842. Native of Queens. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Cavanagh

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1855. Married 1855 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Cavanagh

    Arrived in Queensland in 1887 aboard the Duke of Buccleuch, aged 20.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,210 records for Cavanagh in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada293 records

293 records of the Cavanagh name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 252
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 14
  • Other Canadian records 27
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Susan Cavanagh

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Circassian, bound for Orangeville, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alice Mary Cavanagh

    Buried in 1969 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 68.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James Edward Cavanagh

    Died 1939 in Oxford, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 293 records for Cavanagh in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom37 records

37 records of the Cavanagh name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 16
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  • Other British records 9
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bridget Cavanagh

    Buried in 1970 at Valley Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 88.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record David Cavanagh

    Buried in 1850 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 44.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. Cavanagh

    Durham Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 37 records for Cavanagh in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). 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).

Netherlands12 records

12 records of the Cavanagh name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 9
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Bernard Louis Cavanagh

    Born 1911 in 's-Gravenhage. Married in 1932 in 's-Gravenhage; "pianist".

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Bernard Louis Cavanagh

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Bernard Cavanagh

    Married in 1910 in 's-Gravenhage; "kunstvertoner".

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Cavanagh in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand10 records

10 records of the Cavanagh name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 8
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Alexander Cavanagh

    Died 1987, aged 78; buried at Belfast Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Cavanagh

    Buried in 1877 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 57.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 10 records for Cavanagh in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France5 records

5 records of the Cavanagh name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Maureen Veronica Cavanagh

    Born 1951 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Bordeaux (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Pierre Stanilas Cavanagh

    Born 1972 in Le Havre; died 1993 in Montivilliers (Seine-Maritime).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Cavanagh in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Ireland1 record

1 record of the Cavanagh name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Cavanagh

    Died 1803, aged 74; buried at Drumacoo, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cavanagh.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Cavanagh 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.

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