The Maguire surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,713 people carried this name — #2,173 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 17,600 people counted. That is up 5% from 15,853 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Maguire surname

Anglicized from Irish Mag Uidhir.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Maguire» (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 322 births for the Maguire name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 14,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 156
Leinster 85
Connacht 54
Munster 27

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

In Argentina’s national register

At least 112 people named Maguire 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.

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

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 58
City of Buenos Aires 33
Santa Fe 11
Córdoba 10

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

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 42 people named Maguire.

20 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Nord.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 20
Nord 12
Gironde 5
Paris 2
Oise 1
Pas-de-Calais 1
Yvelines 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

38 people named Maguire live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Basel-Stadt.

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

Where they live today

Basel-Stadt 8
Zurich 8
Geneva 6
Vaud 5
St. Gallen 4
Valais 4
Ticino 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

26 people named Maguire is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 26

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Maguire was recorded 52 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 504th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 63. 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 the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Maguire was counted together with McGuire: 74 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 425 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McGuire, McGuier, McGuir, Mcguire, Macguire, McGuyer, MaGuire, Maguire, Meguier. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 28
North Carolina 14
Maryland 9
New York 8
Virginia 8
South Carolina 3
Maine 2
Rhode Island 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 252 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Maguire in American newspapers,
1897–1907.

Newspaper page from The Austin Weekly Statesman carrying the name Maguire
The Austin Weekly Statesman 1897-01-14
Newspaper page from San Antonio Daily Light carrying the name Maguire
San Antonio Daily Light 1907-02-23
Newspaper page from The Montgomery Advertiser carrying the name Maguire
The Montgomery Advertiser 1906-11-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,181 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Maguire in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

47,431 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Maguire. The most, 9,287, 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 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 23,141
Queensland 7,991
Victoria 7,663
Western Australia 4,341
South Australia 2,163
Tasmania 1,043
ACT (Canberra) 899
Northern Territory 99

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

Who carried it

People named Maguire,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Nicolas Maguire d. 1512 · Catholic bishop
  • Patrick Maguire d. 1970 · politician
  • John Maguire d. 1956 · politician
  • Patrick Maguire d. 1826 · Catholic priest
  • James Robert Maguire d. 1850 · painter
  • Mother Xavier Maguire d. 1879 · religious sister

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Maguire,
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 States6,591 records

6,591 records of the Maguire name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,311
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 2,068
  • Other U.S. records 2,212
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Christopher J. Maguire

    Born 1939; from San Diego, California. U.S. Navy, hospital corpsman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    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 Bernard F. Maguire

    Born 1922 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at Philadelphia; metal worker from Delaware County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1952, buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    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 Annie Maguire

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Furnessia from Glasgow, aged 20; servant. From Fermanagh, Ireland; bound for Buffalo.

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

Showing 3 of 6,591 records for Maguire 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) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger 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) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). 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).

Australia1,797 records

1,797 records of the Maguire name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 685
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 333
  • Other Australian records 779
  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 Mary Maguire

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Kildare. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Mary Maguire

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Martin Luther, sailing from Dublin in 1852. Native of Down. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Bridget Maguire

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Limerick. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,797 records for Maguire 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) · 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).

Canada192 records

192 records of the Maguire name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 95
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 31
  • Other Canadian records 66
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Maguire

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Toronto, landing at Halifax, bound for Mt. Forest, 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 Patricia Joan Maguire

    Buried in 2001 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 41.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Dennis Maguire

    Died 1957, aged 57; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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

Showing 3 of 192 records for Maguire 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 Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. 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).

United Kingdom58 records

58 records of the Maguire name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 44
  • Stirling Council burial records 8
  • Other British records 6
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Charles Evans Maguire

    Born 1871 at Tain. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jean Macdougall Maguire

    Died 1938, aged 75; buried at Dunblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

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

    Buried in 1823 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 61.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 58 records for Maguire in the United Kingdom.

Counts: 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. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand39 records

39 records of the Maguire name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 32
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 4
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Lawrence Maguire

    Died 1979, aged 88; buried at Waimairi 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 Matthew Brian Maguire

    Buried in 1972 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 63.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edith May Maguire

    Died 1981; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 39 records for Maguire in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District 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).

France15 records

15 records of the Maguire 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 Charles Leon Maguire

    Born 1910 in Aubigny-au-Bac; died 1975 in Douai (Nord).

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

    Born 1935 in Australia; died 2001 in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Kate Maguire

    Born 1899 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Lisieux (Calvados).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Maguire 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).

Ireland3 records

3 records of the Maguire name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Conor J. Maguire

    Died 1974, aged 76; buried at Killursa, 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 Walter Maguire

    Died 1997, aged 69; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Maguire in Ireland.

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).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Maguire name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Elisabeth Maguire

    Died 1931 in Deventer, aged 27.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Bessie Maguire

    Married in 1931 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Maguire in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Maguire.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Maguire 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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