The McAvoy surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,715 people carried this name — #7,102 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 62,500 people counted. That is up 1% from 4,691 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

Where the name comes from

The origin of the McAvoy surname

Northern Irish variant of McEvoy.

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

In Scotland’s registers today

McAvoy 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 29. 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

McAvoy in American newspapers,
1901–1916.

Newspaper page from The Butte Inter Mountain carrying the name McAvoy
The Butte Inter Mountain 1901-05-09
Newspaper page from Le Meschacébé carrying the name McAvoy
Le Meschacébé 1916-02-12
Newspaper page from The Era-leader carrying the name McAvoy
The Era-leader 1916-08-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 46,251 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McAvoy in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

2,636 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McAvoy. The most, 771, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 1,163
New South Wales 634
Western Australia 264
Victoria 263
South Australia 236
Tasmania 34
ACT (Canberra) 32
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named McAvoy,
with a public archive behind them.

  • May McAvoy
    May McAvoy 1899–1984 · film actor
  • James Eugene McAvoy
    James Eugene McAvoy 1894–1973 · baseball player
  • Alex McAvoy 1928–2005 · film actor
  • Tommy McAvoy 1943–2024 · shop steward
  • Doug McAvoy 1918–1988 · association football player
  • Jock McAvoy 1908–1971 · boxer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McAvoy,
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 States1,870 records

1,870 records of the McAvoy name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 889
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 290
  • Other U.S. records 691
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James M. McAvoy

    Born 1919 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1941 at New York City; elevator operator. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1987, buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    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 Donald J. McAvoy

    Born 1932; from New York, New York. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1952 in North Korea.

    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 Ellen McAvoy

    Arrived at New York in 1865 aboard the John Bright from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 1,870 records for McAvoy 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. 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, 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); 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).

Australia133 records

133 records of the McAvoy name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 58
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 35
  • Other Australian records 40
  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 McAvoy

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Mount Stewart Elphinstone, sailing from Gibraltar in 1848. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849. Married 1850 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    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 Joseph McAvoy

    Arrived in Victoria in 1887 aboard the Liguria, aged 18; Scottish.

    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 David Thomas McAvoy

    Retired of W Brunswick, Victoria; died 1983.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 133 records for McAvoy in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (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); 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).

Canada111 records

111 records of the McAvoy name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 80
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 8
  • Other Canadian records 23
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James McAvoy

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Owen Sound, 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 William Charles McAvoy

    Died 1966, aged 81; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary McAvoy

    Died 1969 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 111 records for McAvoy 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · 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); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom14 records

14 records of the McAvoy name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 7
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 6
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jane McAvoy

    Buried in 1946 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 78.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Annie Eccles McAvoy

    Will proved in 1927; of Bangor, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  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. McAvoy

    Urham 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 14 records for McAvoy 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) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the McAvoy 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 William McAvoy

    Born 1920 in the United Kingdom; died 1992 in Paris.

    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 McAvoy.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McAvoy 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.

See the McAvoy volume
Scroll to Top