The Madigan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,707 people carried this name — #6,025 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 51,800 people counted. That is up 1% from 5,670 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Madigan surname

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Madagáin (“descendant of Madagán”), a variant of the personal name Madadhán, which is from madadh (“dog”) + -án (“diminutive suffix”).

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 27 births for the Madigan name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “16 in Limerick and 7 in Clare.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 26
Leinster 1

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

In print

Madigan in American newspapers,
1875–1904.

Newspaper page from Memphis Daily Appeal carrying the name Madigan
Memphis Daily Appeal 1875-07-07
Newspaper page from Daily Evening Bulletin carrying the name Madigan
Daily Evening Bulletin 1884-10-15
Newspaper page from Tonopah Bonanza carrying the name Madigan
Tonopah Bonanza 1904-08-20

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 25,205 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Madigan in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

17,059 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Madigan. The most, 3,584, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 5,440
New South Wales 4,722
Victoria 3,534
Queensland 1,805
Western Australia 1,267
ACT (Canberra) 134
Tasmania 90
Northern Territory 42

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

Who carried it

People named Madigan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Laura Madigan
    Laura Madigan 1849–1918 · circus performer
  • John Madigan
    John Madigan 1850–1897 · circus performer
  • Elvira Madigan
    Elvira Madigan 1867–1889 · tightrope walker
  • Cecil Madigan
    Cecil Madigan 1889–1947 · geologist
  • Anthony Madigan
    Anthony Madigan 1930–2017 · boxer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 65 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Madigan,
in the records of 6 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 States1,787 records

1,787 records of the Madigan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 614
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 471
  • Other U.S. records 702
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Vincent W. Madigan

    Born 1915 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; checker from Queens County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1985, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    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 Maggie Madigan

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 18; servant. From Kilrush, Ireland; bound for Buffalo.

    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 John Edward Madigan

    Born 1947; from Chelsea, Massachusetts. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Long An, South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 1,787 records for Madigan 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, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · 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).

Australia547 records

547 records of the Madigan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 241
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 155
  • Other Australian records 151
  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 Andrew Madigan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Ratcliffe, sailing from London in 1845. Native of Limerick. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850. Married 1850 in Fingal, Tasmania, aged 22.

    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 Mary Madigan

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850. Married 1850 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    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 Honora Madigan

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Monteagle, aged 35; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 547 records for Madigan 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) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Canada29 records

29 records of the Madigan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 20
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 4
  • Other Canadian records 5
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jno Madigan

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Aurora, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Anna Madigan

    Died 1917 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Catherine Vincent Madigan

    Died 1936; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 29 records for Madigan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · 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: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands18 records

18 records of the Madigan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 16
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Emiel Simon Madigan

    Married in 1941 in Amsterdam; sales agent.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Eduard Madigan

    Died 1853 in Rotterdam, aged 32.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Charlij Madigan

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1909 in Malmö.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Madigan 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Ireland2 records

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

    Died 1971; buried at Labane, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bridget Madigan

    Died 1995; buried at Labane, 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).

France1 record

1 record of the Madigan 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 Dennis Joseph Madigan

    Born 1936 in the United States; died 1994 in Vittel (Vosges).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Madigan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Madigan 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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