The McDermott surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 30,528 people carried this name — #1,151 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 9,660 people counted. That is up 4% from 29,440 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McDermott surname

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Diarmada (“son of Diarmaid”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McDermott» (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 189 births for the McDermott name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 8,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 13 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 87
Ulster 55
Leinster 42
Munster 5

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

In the Nordic population registers

20 people named McDermott is counted in Sweden.

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

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 20

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

McDermott was recorded 64 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 413th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 85. 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

McDermott in American newspapers,
1915.

Newspaper page from Goodwin's Weekly : A Thinking Paper For Thinking People carrying the name McDermott
Goodwin's Weekly : A Thinking Paper For Thinking People 1915-01-16
Newspaper page from Goodwin's Weekly : A Thinking Paper For Thinking People carrying the name McDermott
Goodwin's Weekly : A Thinking Paper For Thinking People 1915-01-23
Newspaper page from Goodwin's Weekly : A Thinking Paper For Thinking People carrying the name McDermott
Goodwin's Weekly : A Thinking Paper For Thinking People 1915-01-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 148,198 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McDermott in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

34,502 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McDermott. The most, 7,603, 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 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 13,070
Victoria 5,329
Western Australia 5,275
Queensland 5,007
Tasmania 2,786
South Australia 2,467
ACT (Canberra) 437
Northern Territory 37

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

Who carried it

People named McDermott,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Terry McDermott
    Terry McDermott 1940–2023 · speed skater
  • Don McDermott 1929–2020 · speed skater

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

In the public record

People named McDermott,
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 States11,829 records

11,829 records of the McDermott name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 4,566
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 3,151
  • Other U.S. records 4,112
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Frederick McDermott

    Born 1944; from El Paso, Texas. U.S. Army, communications center specialist; died in an accident 1965 in South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Texas.

    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 Lawrence P. McDermott

    Born 1904 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; driver from New York County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1971, 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)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate McDermott

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 22; servant. From Galway, Ireland; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 11,829 records for McDermott 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) · 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) · 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).

Australia1,631 records

1,631 records of the McDermott name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 629
  • Tasmanian Names Index 406
  • Other Australian records 596
  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 Alice McDermott

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Blackfriar, sailing from Kingston in 1851. Native of Louth. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1857. Married 1858 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 38.

    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 Mary Jane McDermott

    Died 1923 in Oatlands, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1923.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Francis John McDermott

    Born 1902 in Argyle Street, Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1925 in Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,631 records for McDermott 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). 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada189 records

189 records of the McDermott name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 84
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 24
  • Other Canadian records 81
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas McDermott

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Port Hope, 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 Joseph McDermott

    Buried in 1978 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 75.

    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 Thomas Alexander McDermott

    Died 1979, aged 55; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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

Showing 3 of 189 records for McDermott 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. · 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) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · 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).

Ireland60 records

60 records of the McDermott name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary McDermott

    Died 1909, aged 94; buried at Templetogher, 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 Lawrence McDermott

    Died 1998, aged 76; buried at Ballygar, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ellen McDermott

    Died 1979, aged 85; buried at Carraroe, Williamstown, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 60 records for McDermott 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).

United Kingdom44 records

44 records of the McDermott name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 36
  • Stirling Council burial records 4
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward McDermott

    Buried in 1946 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 40.

    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. McDermott

    Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    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 James McDermott

    Died 1967, aged 77; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

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

Showing 3 of 44 records for McDermott 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. · 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 Zealand27 records

27 records of the McDermott name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 17
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 5
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah McDermott

    Died 1920, aged 83; buried at Sydenham 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 Albert Edgar McDermott

    Died 1991; buried at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martha McDermott

    Buried in 1875 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 27 records for McDermott in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City 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).

France3 records

3 records of the McDermott 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 John Patrick McDermott

    Born 1942 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Mesmont (Côte-d'Or).

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

    Born 1957 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for McDermott 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).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the McDermott name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register John Mc Dermott

    In the population register of Bradford (Gb); student, born 1910 in Bradford (Gb).

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for McDermott in the Netherlands.

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 McDermott.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McDermott 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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