The Maher surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 23,222 people carried this name — #1,549 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 12,700 people counted. That is up 3% from 22,503 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Maher surname
Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Meachair (“descendant of Meachar”), a personal name meaning "fine", "majestic".
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Maher» (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 203 births for the Maher name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 9,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Meagher.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
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 99 people named Maher 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 Entre Ríos.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
65 people named Maher live in Switzerland.
They live in 9 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
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 France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 29 people named Maher.
Most of them — 26 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Loire-Atlantique.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
21 people named Maher have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 92 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In national population registers
302 people named Maher are counted in Slovenia, Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad. Slovenia counts its residents on 1 January 2026.
Counted, by country
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) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0 · source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), SiStat tables 05X1015S–05X1018S, family names of the population, 1 January 2026 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In Scotland’s registers today
Maher was recorded 13 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 1564th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 12. 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, Maher was counted together with Meyer: 157 families in all.
Each family is counted by its head. About 909 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Meyer, Maher, Mair, Maire, Maires, Mairs, Mare, Mares, Mayer, Mayers, Mayhr, Mayors, Meyers, Meyor, Meyors. 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
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. 253 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.
In print
Maher in American newspapers,
1904–1923.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,192 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Maher in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.
105,242 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Maher. The most, 25,696, 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 Queensland, at 1.3 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Maher.
Who carried it
People named Maher,
with a public archive behind them.
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Edward A. Maher 1848–1920 · businessperson -
Michael Maher 1860–1918 · psychologist -
George W. Maher 1864–1926 · architect -
James P. Maher 1865–1946 · politician -
Peter Maher 1869–1940 · boxer
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 245 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Maher,
in the records of 9 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 States10,823 records
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 3,743
- Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 3,624
- Other U.S. records 3,456
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Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Thomas E. MaherBorn 1925 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; construction laborer from Nassau County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1981, 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) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Lizzie MaherArrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 17; servant. From Cork, Ireland; bound for New York.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) -
Example: U.S. war memorial War record Christopher Loring MaherBorn 1947; from Montgomery, Alabama. U.S. Navy, aviation electronics technician; died of wounds 1968 in South Vietnam.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
Showing 3 of 10,823 records for Maher 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · 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) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).
Australia3,754 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,555
- Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 743
- Other Australian records 1,456
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Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Mary MaherTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duke of Cornwall, sailing from Kingston in 1850. Native of Tipperary. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Mary MaherTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Greenlaw, sailing from Dublin in 1844. Native of Queens. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Longford, Tasmania, aged 28.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Catherine MaherDied 1915 in Hobart, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1915.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 3,754 records for Maher in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).
Canada143 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 100
- Canadian Virtual War Memorial 23
- Other Canadian records 20
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Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Gertrude MaherBuried in 1921 at St. Mary's Pioneer Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 27.
City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Gladys May MaherDied 1990, aged 78; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Mary Ann MaherDied 1967; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.
City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
Showing 3 of 143 records for Maher 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 Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · 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).
New Zealand88 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 48
- Marlborough District cemetery records 28
- Other New Zealand records 12
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record John MaherBuried in 1918 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 38.
Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Andrew MaherDied 1891, aged 82; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Margaret Mary MaherDied 1997, aged 84; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.
Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 88 records for Maher in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
United Kingdom50 records
- Stirling Council burial records 29
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 20
- St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Mary MaherBuried in 1924 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 24.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record J. MaherLance Corporal, Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.
National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Ann MaherBuried in 1875 at Mar Place Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 40.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Showing 3 of 50 records for Maher 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. 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).
Ireland11 records
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Mary MaherDied 1896, aged 85; buried at Drumacoo, Co. Galway.
Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record James MaherDied 1948, aged 73; buried at Lackagh (Old), Co. Galway.
Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 2 of 11 records for Maher 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).
France5 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Henri MaherBorn 1919 in Vietnam; died 2001 in Paris.
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Helene Marie MaherBorn 1924 in Nantes; died 1979 in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 5 records for Maher 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).
Netherlands5 records
- Dutch population registers 3
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
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Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Leo Francis MaherMarried in 1945 in Groningen; labourer.
Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: U.S. census, 1910 Population register John Joseph MaherIn the population register of Tipperary (Gb); student, born 1907 in Tipperary (Gb).
Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 2 of 5 records for Maher 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).
Germany1 record
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Example: German casualty list, 1918 Casualty list Karl MäherFrom Allenbach, Trier. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 3 July 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 161).
Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).
Other spellings of this name
The same name, spelled another way.
Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Maher.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Maher.
- Magro 1,102 · U.S. census
- Maguire 16,713 · U.S. census
- Mahaffey 8,079 · U.S. census
- Mahan 15,375 · U.S. census
- Mahdi 1,241 · U.S. census
- Mahe 441 · U.S. census
- Maheu 725 · U.S. census
- Maheux 318 · U.S. census
- Mahi 383 · U.S. census
- Mahieu 342 · U.S. census
- Mahin 442 · U.S. census
- Mahler 5,222 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Maher 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.