The Cavanaugh surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 17,577 people carried this name — #2,049 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 16,800 people counted. That is up 3% from 17,137 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Cavanaugh surname

Variant of Kavanagh.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Cavanaugh» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In print

Cavanaugh in American newspapers,
1871–1928.

Newspaper page from The Falmouth Outlook carrying the name Cavanaugh
The Falmouth Outlook 1928-01-06
Newspaper page from Memphis Daily Appeal carrying the name Cavanaugh
Memphis Daily Appeal 1871-08-26
Newspaper page from The Central Nevadan carrying the name Cavanaugh
The Central Nevadan 1900-06-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Cavanaugh in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1980s.

725 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cavanaugh. The most, 185, date from the 1950s. 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 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 396
Victoria 129
Queensland 95
South Australia 54
Western Australia 24
ACT (Canberra) 11
Tasmania 5
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Cavanaugh,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James M. Cavanaugh
    James M. Cavanaugh 1823–1879 · politician
  • Frank Cavanaugh
    Frank Cavanaugh 1876–1933 · head coach
  • Hobart Cavanaugh
    Hobart Cavanaugh 1886–1950 · actor
  • John J. Cavanaugh
    John J. Cavanaugh 1899–1979 · priest

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 97 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cavanaugh,
in the records of 5 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 States2,398 records

2,398 records of the Cavanaugh name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 771
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 657
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 445
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 228
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 198
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 58
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 24
  • Sacramento County historic burials 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Horace F. Cavanaugh

    Born 1921 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sam Houston; construction worker from Milam County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, Cameron, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Charles Cavanaugh

    Born 1945; from Chicago, Illinois. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Hua Nghia, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Cavanaugh

    Arrived at New York in 1846 aboard the Lord Ashburton from Liverpool, aged 29; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,398 records for Cavanaugh in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada72 records

72 records of the Cavanaugh name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 42
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 19
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 6
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mabel Cavanaugh

    Buried in 1972 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 70.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Barbara C. Cavanaugh

    Died 1937 in Upper North River, Colchester, Nova Scotia.

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

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 72 records for Cavanaugh in Canada.

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

Australia10 records

10 records of the Cavanaugh name in Australia
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 2
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record William Cavanaugh

    Left Hobart Town in 1846 aboard the Velocity, bound for Sydney Via Twofold Bay, as crew.

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

    Sailed from Victoria in 1853 aboard the Napoleon, bound for Sydney, aged 34.

    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 Mary Burrisa Cavanaugh

    Of Chelsea, Victoria; died 1997.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Cavanaugh in Australia.

Counts: Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); 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).

Ireland1 record

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

    Died 1946; buried at Kilcummin, 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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Cavanaugh name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Helen Gertrude Cavanaugh

    Died 1965 in Rotterdam, aged 64.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cavanaugh.

When the index is not enough

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