The McGlynn surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,200 people carried this name — #7,880 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 70,400 people counted. That is up 8% from 3,872 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McGlynn surname

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Fhloinn, from a personal name derived from flann (“blood-red”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McGlynn» (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 39 births for the McGlynn name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 13 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 16
Connacht 11
Leinster 9
Munster 3

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

McGlynn was recorded 24 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1003rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 40. 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

McGlynn in American newspapers,
1900–1901.

Newspaper page from The Intermountain Catholic carrying the name McGlynn
The Intermountain Catholic 1900-01-13
Newspaper page from The Butte Inter Mountain carrying the name McGlynn
The Butte Inter Mountain 1901-12-21
Newspaper page from Daily Public Ledger carrying the name McGlynn
Daily Public Ledger 1900-01-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 26,227 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McGlynn in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1990s.

6,306 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McGlynn. The most, 1,634, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,823
Queensland 1,291
Victoria 525
South Australia 367
Western Australia 180
ACT (Canberra) 67
Tasmania 24
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named McGlynn,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Frank McGlynn Sr.
    Frank McGlynn Sr. 1866–1951 · film actor
  • Edward McGlynn
    Edward McGlynn 1837–1900 · Catholic priest
  • Edward McGlynn 1931–2012 · athletics competitor

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

In the public record

People named McGlynn,
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 States1,435 records

1,435 records of the McGlynn name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 707
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 240
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 165
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 109
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 90
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 61
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 60
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George W. McGlynn

    Born 1923 in Ohio. Enlisted 1942 at Boston, Massachusetts; cook. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1990, buried at Massachusetts National Cemetery, Massachusetts.

    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 Margaret McGlynn

    Arrived at New York in 1865 aboard the American Union from Liverpool, aged 24; housekeeper. From Longford, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Charles R. McGlynn

    Born 1932; from Atlantic County, New Jersey. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; killed in action 1952 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,435 records for McGlynn 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) · 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) · 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia137 records

137 records of the McGlynn name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 38
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 31
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 28
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 19
  • Tasmanian Names Index 17
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  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 Francis McGlynn

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Anne, arriving 1801.

    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 Mary McGlynn

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Carrier Dove, as an infant; 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 Eileen McGlynn

    Retired draftswoman of Box Hill Nth, Victoria; died 1988.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 137 records for McGlynn in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · 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: 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).

Canada7 records

7 records of the McGlynn name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 4
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Roger Alexander McGlynn

    Buried in 1972 at Parkview Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario.

    Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence
  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 Herbert McGlynn

    Died in service in 1916.

    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 Sarah McGlynn

    Married 1898 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 7 records for McGlynn 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. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); 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).

United Kingdom7 records

7 records of the McGlynn 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 S. McGlynn

    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)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. McGlynn

    Lance Corporal, Royal Irish Fusiliers. 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 First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. McGlynn

    Royal Fusiliers. 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 7 records for McGlynn 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).

New Zealand5 records

5 records of the McGlynn name in New Zealand Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alice May McGlynn

    Buried in 1968 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 85.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record June Sidney McGlynn

    Buried in 1938 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 20.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joan Mary Margaret McGlynn

    Died 1990, aged 75; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for McGlynn in New Zealand.

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District 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 McGlynn.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McGlynn is.
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