The McClure surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 47,742 people carried this name — #731 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,180 people counted. That is up 3% from 46,505 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McClure surname

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Gille Uidhir and Irish Mac Giolla Uidhir (“son of the dun lad”), from Mac + gille + uidhir, obsolete form of odhar (“dun; dark”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McClure» (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 35 births for the McClure name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim and Down.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 31
Leinster 2
Munster 2

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

In Scotland’s registers today

McClure was recorded 41 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 634th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 72. 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

156 families named McClure, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 868 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 7 other spellings. 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 75
South Carolina 23
North Carolina 15
New Hampshire 14
New York 7
Maryland 6
Virginia 5
Vermont 3
Massachusetts 3
Connecticut 3
Maine 1
Rhode Island 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

McClure in American newspapers,
1879–1905.

Newspaper page from Fergus County Argus carrying the name McClure
Fergus County Argus 1902-07-18
Newspaper page from Rosebud County News carrying the name McClure
Rosebud County News 1905-03-30
Newspaper page from The Lake Charles Echo carrying the name McClure
The Lake Charles Echo 1879-05-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 313,732 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McClure in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

14,897 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McClure. The most, 3,536, 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 Western Australia, at 2.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,204
Victoria 3,830
Western Australia 3,011
South Australia 1,993
Queensland 1,600
Tasmania 128
ACT (Canberra) 73
Northern Territory 12

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

Who carried it

People named McClure,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Robert John McClure
    Robert John McClure 1807–1873 · explorer
  • Doug McClure
    Doug McClure 1935–1995 · film actor
  • Wilbert McClure
    Wilbert McClure 1938–2020 · boxer
  • James A. McClure
    James A. McClure 1924–2011 · lobbyist
  • Michael McClure 1932–2020 · lyricist
  • Richard McClure 1935–2024 · rower

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

In the public record

People named McClure,
in the records of 7 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 States3,431 records

3,431 records of the McClure name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,720
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 691
  • Other U.S. records 1,020
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Dwayne Charles McClure

    Born 1947; from Portland, Oregon. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    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 Golden Goss McClure

    Born 1919 in Georgia. Enlisted 1944 at Fort McPherson Atlanta; farmer from Gilmer County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Murray Memorial Gardens, Chatsworth, Georgia.

    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 Mary McClure

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Anchoria from Glasgow, aged 30; servant. From Fermanagh, Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 3,431 records for McClure in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Australia858 records

858 records of the McClure name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 404
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 256
  • Other Australian records 198
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary McClure

    Died 1889 in Deloraine, Tasmania, aged 64. Will registered in Tasmania in 1889.

    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 Edmund McClure

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Morning Light, aged 17; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (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 Jane McClure

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Pyramus, arriving 1836; certificate of freedom 1845.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 858 records for McClure 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) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada126 records

126 records of the McClure name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 62
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 19
  • Other Canadian records 45
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John McClure

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Phoenisian, bound for Meaford, 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 Elsie McClure

    Died 1961, aged 70; buried at St. Vital 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 Christie McClure

    Died 1924 in Pugwash, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 126 records for McClure 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 Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · 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. 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).

New Zealand33 records

33 records of the McClure name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frederick James Ashley McClure

    Died 1991, aged 40; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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 Raymond Leslie McClure

    Died 1999, aged 76; buried at Waimairi 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 Doreen Aquineas McClure

    Died 1958, aged 53; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 33 records for McClure in New Zealand.

Counts: 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).

United Kingdom25 records

25 records of the McClure name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 20
  • Stirling Council burial records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret McClure

    Died 1947, aged 88; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. McClure

    Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert McClure

    Buried in 1896 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 83.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 25 records for McClure 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. 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).

France2 records

2 records of the McClure 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 Michael Eugene McClure

    Born 1950 in the United States; died 1999 in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône).

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

    Born 1936 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne).

    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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the McClure name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Chesney Campbell McClure

    Married in 1946 in Nijmegen; office clerk.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McClure.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McClure 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 McClure volume
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