The McGuigan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,646 people carried this name — #8,975 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 80,600 people counted. That is up 4% from 3,489 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McGuigan surname

Anglicized form of Northern Irish and Scottish Gaelic Mac Uiginn (“son of the viking”), from uiging (“Viking; pirate”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McGuigan» (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 43 births for the McGuigan name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 7 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim and Tyrone.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 40
Connacht 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

McGuigan was recorded 45 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 579th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 64. 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

McGuigan in American newspapers,
1907–1918.

Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name McGuigan
The Salt Lake Herald 1907-08-10
Newspaper page from Eagle River Review carrying the name McGuigan
Eagle River Review 1918-05-24
Newspaper page from Vilas County News carrying the name McGuigan
Vilas County News 1918-05-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,336 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McGuigan in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

6,755 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McGuigan. The most, 1,567, date from the 1940s. 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 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,470
Victoria 1,206
Queensland 1,027
Western Australia 849
ACT (Canberra) 86
South Australia 72
Tasmania 36
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named McGuigan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Charles McGuigan
    James Charles McGuigan 1894–1974 · Catholic theologian
  • Pat McGuigan
    Pat McGuigan 1935–1987 · songwriter
  • Nika McGuigan 1986–2019 · actor
  • Andy McGuigan 1878–1948 · association football player
  • Paddy McGuigan 1939–2014 · singer-songwriter
  • John McGuigan 1932–2004 · association football player

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

In the public record

People named McGuigan,
in the records of 6 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 States879 records

879 records of the McGuigan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 241
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 196
  • Other U.S. records 442
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James J. McGuigan

    Born 1920 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; carpenter from Queens County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1974, 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. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jane McGuigan

    Arrived at Philadelphia in 1846 aboard the Shenandoah from Liverpool, aged 16; servant. From Ireland.

    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 Thomas J. McGuigan

    U.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1886, died 1973; buried at Bath National Cemetery, New York.

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

Showing 3 of 879 records for McGuigan 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. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (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. 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).

Australia409 records

409 records of the McGuigan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 145
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 143
  • Other Australian records 121
  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 Patrick McGuigan

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Fergusson, arriving 1829; certificate of freedom 1835.

    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 Wm McGuigan

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Merlin, aged 40; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Margaret McGuigan

    Died 1895 in New Norfolk, Tasmania, aged 49.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 409 records for McGuigan 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom62 records

62 records of the McGuigan name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 54
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Coan McGuigan

    Died 1996, aged 54; buried at St Thomas 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 C. McGuigan

    Royal Irish Rifles. 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 Alexander McGuigan

    Buried in 1912 at Mar Place Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 19.

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

Showing 3 of 62 records for McGuigan in the United Kingdom.

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).

Canada54 records

54 records of the McGuigan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 25
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 15
  • Other Canadian records 14
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Hugh McGuigan

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Polynesian, landing at Quebec, bound for Seaforth, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bernice Matilda Kathleen McGuigan

    Buried in 1995 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 69.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Lena McGuigan

    Died 1973 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, aged 67.

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

Showing 3 of 54 records for McGuigan 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. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand15 records

15 records of the McGuigan 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 Leonard John Ray McGuigan

    Died 1999, aged 70; buried at Belfast 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 Ethel Mary McGuigan

    Died 1985, aged 87; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Joseph McGuigan

    Died 1951, aged 79; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 15 records for McGuigan in New Zealand.

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).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the McGuigan name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann McGuigan

    Died 1889, aged 60; buried at Kilcummin, 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 Thomas McGuigan

    Died 1899, aged 26; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McGuigan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McGuigan 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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