The McGraw surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 21,614 people carried this name — #1,668 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 13,600 people counted. That is up 4% from 20,704 in 2000.

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In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 5 births for the McGraw name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 5

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

McGraw was recorded 10 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1929th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 20. 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 the first U.S. census, 1790

34 families named McGraw, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 184 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McGraw, McGra, McGrah, Magraw, Megraw. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

South Carolina 7
New York 6
Pennsylvania 6
Maryland 5
Maine 3
Virginia 3
North Carolina 2
New Hampshire 1
Connecticut 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 252 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McGraw in American newspapers,
1880.

Newspaper page from Centre Democrat carrying the name McGraw
Centre Democrat 1880-08-05
Newspaper page from Union County Courier carrying the name McGraw
Union County Courier 1880-08-18
Newspaper page from The Milan Exchange carrying the name McGraw
The Milan Exchange 1880-07-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,032 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McGraw in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1990s.

1,246 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McGraw. The most, 280, 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 Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 667
Victoria 376
Queensland 85
Western Australia 61
South Australia 25
Tasmania 17
ACT (Canberra) 12

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

Who carried it

People named McGraw,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Charles McGraw
    Charles McGraw 1914–1980 · film actor
  • John Joseph McGraw
    John Joseph McGraw 1873–1934 · baseball player-manager
  • John McGraw
    John McGraw 1850–1910 · politician
  • Eloise Jarvis McGraw
    Eloise Jarvis McGraw 1915–2000 · young adult author

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

In the public record

People named McGraw,
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 States1,907 records

1,907 records of the McGraw name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 689
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 361
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 343
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 193
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 177
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 97
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 39
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ernest E. McGraw

    Born 1920 in Louisiana. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Livingston; carpenter from Rapides Parish. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Alexandria Memorial Gardens, Louisiana.

    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 McGraw

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Ethiopia from Glasgow and Moville, aged 23; servant. From Dundalk, 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 Donald Orin McGraw

    Born 1950; from Cleveland, Ohio. U.S. Army, aircraft maintenance apprentice; died in an accident 1969 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 1,907 records for McGraw in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · 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).

Canada69 records

69 records of the McGraw name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 46
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 9
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 5
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 3
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Clarence McGraw

    Killed in 1930 at the Victoria No. 2 mine, Nova Scotia.

    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 Vincent Clark McGraw

    Buried in 1978 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 59.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. 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 Hugh Edward McGraw

    Died in service in 1942.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 69 records for McGraw 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. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia68 records

68 records of the McGraw name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 22
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 14
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 12
  • Tasmanian Names Index 11
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 8
  • 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 Donald McGraw

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Lady East, arriving 1838; ticket of leave 1839. Native of Wilts.

    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 A. McGraw

    Arrived in Victoria in 1867 aboard the Surprise, aged 10; American.

    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 Allan William McGraw

    Retired farmer of Shepparton, Victoria; died 1991.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 68 records for McGraw in Australia.

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

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the McGraw name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John McGraw

    Died 1936, aged 70; buried at Kippen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. McGraw

    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 page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janet McGraw

    Buried in 1940 at Valley Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 94.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the McGraw 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 Steven William McGraw

    Died 1991, aged 33; 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McGraw.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McGraw 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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