The McGrady surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,819 people carried this name — #8,611 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 77,500 people counted. That is down 1% from 3,841 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McGrady surname

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Bhrádaigh (“son of Brádach”), a personal name probably derived from a word meaning "proud".

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McGrady» (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 6 births for the McGrady name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “3 in Antrim and 3 in Down.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 6

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

In print

McGrady in American newspapers,
1902–1907.

Newspaper page from The Kalispell Bee carrying the name McGrady
The Kalispell Bee 1902-12-30
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name McGrady
Daily Kennebec Journal 1907-07-23
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name McGrady
Daily Kennebec Journal 1907-07-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,013 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McGrady in Australian newspapers,
1890s–2000s.

845 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McGrady. The most, 355, 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 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 475
Victoria 129
Queensland 115
Western Australia 41
ACT (Canberra) 31
South Australia 20
Northern Territory 16
Tasmania 15

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

Who carried it

People named McGrady,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Edward Francis McGrady
    Edward Francis McGrady 1874–1960 · trade unionist
  • Eddie McGrady 1935–2013 · politician
  • Mike McGrady 1933–2012 · journalist
  • Stuart McGrady 1985–2015 · association football coach
  • Martin McGrady 1946–2006 · athletics competitor

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

In the public record

People named McGrady,
in the records of 3 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 States502 records

502 records of the McGrady name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 168
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 145
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 77
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 50
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 23
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 20
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 18
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Louis McGrady

    Born 1912 in Missouri. Enlisted 1943 at Jefferson Barracks; driver from St Louis City. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1967, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    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 McGrady

    Arrived at New York in 1870 aboard the India from Glasgow and Moville, aged 30; servant. From 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 Kenneth Edward McGrady

    Born 1933; from Jersey City, New Jersey. U.S. Marine Corps; died of wounds 1952 in Korea.

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

Showing 3 of 502 records for McGrady in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · 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). 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).

Australia58 records

58 records of the McGrady name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 29
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 14
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 9
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 3
  • Tasmanian Names Index 3
  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 Thomas McGrady

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Hercules, arriving 1830; ticket of leave 1834. Native of Carrickfergus.

    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 Henry McGrady

    Arrived in Queensland in 1884 aboard the Duke of Argyll, aged 23.

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

    Retired of Pascoe Vale South, Victoria; died 1977.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 58 records for McGrady 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). 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).

Canada13 records

13 records of the McGrady name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 9
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record James McGrady

    Lost in the sinking of the Titanic, 1912. Body recovered.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lella Elizabeth McGrady

    Died 1975; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Theren E. McGrady

    Died 1917; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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

Showing 3 of 13 records for McGrady 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. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McGrady.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McGrady 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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