The McCall surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 43,483 people carried this name — #794 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,780 people counted. That is up 5% from 41,231 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McCall surname

Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Cathail ("son of Cathal").

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McCall» (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

McCall was recorded 66 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 402nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 102. 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

103 families named McCall, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 563 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McCall, Mccall, Mccalle, McCaul, M'Caul, Mccaule, McCawl, McColl, Mackah. 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 29
North Carolina 23
South Carolina 20
Connecticut 13
New York 8
Maryland 6
Virginia 3
Massachusetts 1

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

McCall in American newspapers,
1913–1916.

Newspaper page from The Donaldsonville Chief carrying the name McCall
The Donaldsonville Chief 1915-11-13
Newspaper page from The Donaldsonville Chief carrying the name McCall
The Donaldsonville Chief 1913-01-04
Newspaper page from The Donaldsonville Chief carrying the name McCall
The Donaldsonville Chief 1916-11-18

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

In print

McCall in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

21,520 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McCall. The most, 6,636, 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 Tasmania, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,118
Victoria 5,788
Queensland 2,828
Tasmania 2,526
Western Australia 2,203
South Australia 1,648
ACT (Canberra) 256
Northern Territory 39

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

Who carried it

People named McCall,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Tom McCall
    Tom McCall 1913–1983 · journalist
  • C. W. McCall 1928–2022 · country musician
  • Robert McCall 1958–1991 · ice dancer

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

In the public record

People named McCall,
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 States3,663 records

3,663 records of the McCall name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,373
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 581
  • Other U.S. records 1,709
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Clarence A. McCall

    Born 1932; from Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in North Korea. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    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 Vernon J. McCall

    Born 1920 in Maryland. Enlisted 1942 at Baltimore; factory foreman from Baltimore City. Veteran; died 1968, buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland.

    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 Isabella McCall

    Arrived at New York in 1862 aboard the Benjamin Adams from Liverpool, aged 28; housekeeper. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 3,663 records for McCall 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. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · 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).

Australia859 records

859 records of the McCall name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 462
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 143
  • Other Australian records 254
  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 McCall

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Hector, sailing from Woolwich in 1835. Native of Paisley, Renfrewshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1837.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Hair McCall

    Died 1901 in Devonport East, East¿devonport, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1901.

    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 Paul McCall

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Earl of Eglinton, aged 34; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 859 records for McCall 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) · 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada132 records

132 records of the McCall name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 53
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 35
  • Other Canadian records 44
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Samuel McCall

    Buried in 1987 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 58.

    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 Gladys McCall

    Died 1973 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, aged 57.

    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 Roy Calder McCall

    Died in service in 1944.

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

Showing 3 of 132 records for McCall in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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 Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. 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).

United Kingdom74 records

74 records of the McCall name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 51
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth H. McCall

    Died 1903, aged 58; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

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

    Buried in 1798 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 45.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. S. McCall

    Gordon Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 74 records for McCall 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).

New Zealand13 records

13 records of the McCall name in New Zealand
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 7
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ivan Keith McCall

    Buried in 1980 at Buffalo Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 56.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Linda Eliza Dorothy McCall

    Died 1930, aged 38; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Malcolm McCall

    Buried in 1889 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 63.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for McCall in New Zealand.

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City 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 McCall name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Elizabeth Mc Call

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1911 in Malang.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McCall.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McCall 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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