The McDevitt surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,425 people carried this name — #4,768 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 39,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 7,308 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McDevitt surname

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Daibhéid (“son of David”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McDevitt» (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 15 births for the McDevitt name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 14
Connacht 1

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

In print

McDevitt in American newspapers,
1912–1925.

Newspaper page from San Antonio Light carrying the name McDevitt
San Antonio Light 1912-01-14
Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name McDevitt
The Birmingham Age-herald 1925-01-25
Newspaper page from Rock Island Argus carrying the name McDevitt
Rock Island Argus 1914-02-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 25,681 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McDevitt in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1980s.

1,601 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McDevitt. The most, 407, date from the 1870s. Queensland 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 3.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 528
New South Wales 381
Tasmania 313
Victoria 262
Western Australia 45
South Australia 35
ACT (Canberra) 33
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named McDevitt,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ruth McDevitt
    Ruth McDevitt 1895–1976 · film actor
  • Philip R. McDevitt
    Philip R. McDevitt 1858–1935 · Catholic bishop
  • Gerald Vincent McDevitt 1917–1980 · Catholic bishop
  • Hugh McDevitt 1930–2022 · immunologist
  • Henry McDevitt 1904–1966 · barrister
  • James McDevitt 1831–1879 · Catholic bishop

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

In the public record

People named McDevitt,
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 States1,529 records

1,529 records of the McDevitt name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 503
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 349
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 311
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 158
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 109
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 68
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 30
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Raymond F. McDevitt

    Born 1910 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1940 at Philadelphia; filling station attendant. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1980, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary McDevitt

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Anchoria from Glasgow, aged 16; house steward. From Letterkenny, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record James Peter McDevitt

    U.S. Army veteran of the Gulf War. Born 1947, died 1999; buried at Tahoma National Cemetery, Washington.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 1,529 records for McDevitt 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. 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 · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). 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); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia205 records

205 records of the McDevitt name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 95
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 53
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 37
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 11
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 6
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Sarah Jane McDevitt

    Born 1856 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1876 in Esperance, Tasmania, aged 19.

    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 Jno McDevitt

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Star of the East, aged 35; Irish.

    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 Charles McDevitt

    Farmer of Warragul, Victoria; died 1973.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 205 records for McDevitt in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (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) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (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).

Canada22 records

22 records of the McDevitt name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 10
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 8
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas McDevitt

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Laurence Charles McDevitt

    Died 1965 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James McDevitt

    Died 1958; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

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

Showing 3 of 22 records for McDevitt 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. · 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the McDevitt name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Charles McDevitt

    Died 1968, aged 81; buried at Abbeygormican, 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 Rose McDevitt

    Died 1941; buried at Abbeygormican, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the McDevitt 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 Denis McDevitt

    Died 1904; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McDevitt.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McDevitt 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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