The McGarvey surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,945 people carried this name — #8,389 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 74,600 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (3,927).

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What the name means

The meaning of the McGarvey surname

Anglicized form of Irish and Scottish Gaelic Mac Gairbhshíth (“son of Gairbhshíth”), a personal name composed of the elements garbh (“rough”) + síth (“peace”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McGarvey» (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 30 births for the McGarvey name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,300 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 29
Leinster 1

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

McGarvey was recorded 15 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1427th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 19. 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

McGarvey in American newspapers,
1907–1914.

Newspaper page from Fergus County Democrat carrying the name McGarvey
Fergus County Democrat 1907-05-14
Newspaper page from Rock Island Argus carrying the name McGarvey
Rock Island Argus 1914-08-06
Newspaper page from East Mississippi Times carrying the name McGarvey
East Mississippi Times 1909-04-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 11,338 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McGarvey in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

679 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McGarvey. The most, 182, 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 Queensland, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 386
Queensland 237
Victoria 25
ACT (Canberra) 12
South Australia 10
Western Australia 6
Tasmania 2

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

Who carried it

People named McGarvey,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Henry McGarvey
    William Henry McGarvey 1843–1914 · businessperson
  • Robert Neill McGarvey
    Robert Neill McGarvey 1888–1952 · manager
  • John William McGarvey
    John William McGarvey 1829–1911 · Christian minister
  • Frank McGarvey 1956–2023 · association football player
  • Dan McGarvey 1887–1947 · baseball player
  • Robert V. McGarvey 1888–1952

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

In the public record

People named McGarvey,
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 States853 records

853 records of the McGarvey name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 258
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 207
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 163
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 79
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 58
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 51
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 31
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Herbert J. McGarvey

    Born 1912 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; apprentice from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1967, 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)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Patrick George McGarvey

    Born 1946; from Spokane, Washington. U.S. Marine Corps, radio telegraph operator; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Pat McGarvey

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the City of Chicago from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 24; student. From Co. Tyrone, Ireland; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 853 records for McGarvey 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 · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia54 records

54 records of the McGarvey name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 20
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 14
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 12
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 6
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  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 James McGarvey

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the America, arriving 1829; ticket of leave 1839. Native of Londonderry.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lawson McGarvey

    Arrived in Queensland in 1885 aboard the Merkara, aged 22.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas McGarvey

    Farmer of Northcote, Victoria; died 1923.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 54 records for McGarvey in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); 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).

Canada27 records

27 records of the McGarvey name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 18
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas McGarvey

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Nestorian, 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 David McGarvey

    Died 1922 in Pictou, 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 Gordon McGarvey

    Buried in 1987 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

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

Showing 3 of 27 records for McGarvey 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. · 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. 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).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the McGarvey 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 Robert Neil McGarvey

    Died 1929, aged 34; 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 Michael Joseph McGarvey

    Died 1987, aged 32; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the McGarvey 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 J. McGarvey

    Seaforth Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    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 G. McGarvey

    Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

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 McGarvey.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McGarvey 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 McGarvey volume
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