The McGann surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,853 people carried this name — #8,547 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 76,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 3,731 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the McGann surname

Variant of McCann.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McGann» (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 21 births for the McGann name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 3 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

Leinster 9
Connacht 6
Munster 3
Ulster 3

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

In print

McGann in American newspapers,
1895.

Newspaper page from The Evening Bulletin carrying the name McGann
The Evening Bulletin 1895-06-29
Newspaper page from The Evening Bulletin carrying the name McGann
The Evening Bulletin 1895-08-10
Newspaper page from Daily Public Ledger carrying the name McGann
Daily Public Ledger 1895-07-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 24,248 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McGann in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1990s.

5,897 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McGann. The most, 1,406, 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 South Australia, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,213
Victoria 1,177
South Australia 1,038
Queensland 558
Western Australia 463
Tasmania 339
ACT (Canberra) 85
Northern Territory 18

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

Who carried it

People named McGann,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William C. McGann
    William C. McGann 1893–1977 · director
  • Lawrence E. McGann
    Lawrence E. McGann 1852–1928 · politician
  • John R. McGann 1924–2002 · Catholic priest
  • Bernie McGann 1937–2013 · jazz musician
  • Brad McGann 1964–2007 · director
  • Barry McGann 1948–2025 · rugby union player

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

In the public record

People named McGann,
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 States1,244 records

1,244 records of the McGann name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 581
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 200
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 181
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 104
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 70
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 58
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 50
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William F. McGann

    Born 1922 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; transport worker from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1992, 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 Ann McGann

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the City of Chicago from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 30; servant. From Tyrone, Ireland; bound for Rhode Island.

    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 Michael A. McGann

    U.S. Army veteran of the Indian Wars. Born 1845, died 1918; buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Los Angeles, California.

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

Showing 3 of 1,244 records for McGann 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, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain). 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).

Australia337 records

337 records of the McGann name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 87
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 87
  • Tasmanian Names Index 82
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 56
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 17
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 5
  • Ballarat Avenue of Honour, First World War 1
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Rebecca McGann

    Died 1910 in Black Brush, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1910.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record James McGann

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 45.

    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 Peter McGann

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Marian Moore, aged 9; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 337 records for McGann 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada13 records

13 records of the McGann name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 9
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alberta Violet McGann

    Died 1920 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. 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 Edward John McGann

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Michael McGann

    Married 1885 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 13 records for McGann 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Ireland9 records

9 records of the McGann name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick McGann

    Died 1977, aged 83; buried at Clonburn, 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 Margaret McGann

    Died 1993; buried at Glenamaddy (New), 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 Maud Mc Gann

    Died 1983, aged 47; buried at Clonburn, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for McGann 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 Kingdom6 records

6 records of the McGann name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. McGann

    Driver, King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record O. McGann

    Border Regiment. 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 First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. W. McGann

    Yorkshire Regiment. 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 6 records for McGann in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McGann.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McGann 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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