The McGuire surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 64,327 people carried this name — #521 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,590 people counted. That is up 4% from 62,116 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the McGuire surname

Anglicized from Irish mag Uidhir.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McGuire» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Scotland’s registers today

McGuire was recorded 132 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 177th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 196. 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

74 families named McGuire, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 425 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McGuire, McGuier, McGuir, Mcguire, Macguire, McGuyer, MaGuire, Maguire, Meguier. 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

Pennsylvania 28
North Carolina 14
Maryland 9
New York 8
Virginia 8
South Carolina 3
Maine 2
Rhode Island 2

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

McGuire in American newspapers,
1904–1911.

Newspaper page from The Muskogee Cimeter carrying the name McGuire
The Muskogee Cimeter 1904-11-17
Newspaper page from Frostburg Mining Journal carrying the name McGuire
Frostburg Mining Journal 1910-07-30
Newspaper page from Catoctin Clarion carrying the name McGuire
Catoctin Clarion 1911-07-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 237,536 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McGuire in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

32,770 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McGuire. The most, 7,466, 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 the Northern Territory, at 4.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 9,992
Queensland 7,307
South Australia 6,972
Western Australia 3,383
Victoria 2,918
Tasmania 1,604
Northern Territory 272
ACT (Canberra) 252

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

Who carried it

People named McGuire,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Dorothy McGuire
    Dorothy McGuire 1916–2001 · film actor
  • Kathryn McGuire
    Kathryn McGuire 1903–1978 · film actor
  • Thomas McGuire
    Thomas McGuire 1920–1945 · aircraft pilot
  • Dick McGuire 1926–2010 · basketball coach
  • Brian McGuire 1945–1977 · Formula One driver
  • Biff McGuire 1926–2021 · musician

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

In the public record

People named McGuire,
in the records of 7 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 States15,871 records

15,871 records of the McGuire name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 5,469
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 3,978
  • Other U.S. records 6,424
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Eddie McGuire

    Born 1950; from Walls, Mississippi. U.S. Army, combat engineer; killed in action 1970 in Long Khanh, South Vietnam. Buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Earl E. McGuire

    Born 1911 in Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Roanoke; textile mill worker from Pittsylvania County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1983, buried at Quantico National Cemetery, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary McGuire

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; servant. From Liverpool, Ireland; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 15,871 records for McGuire 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, Famine Irish Passenger 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, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,931 records

1,931 records of the McGuire name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 684
  • Tasmanian Names Index 664
  • Other Australian records 583
  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 John McGuire

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Layton, sailing from London in 1839. Native of Enniskillen, Fermanagh. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Mary Ann McGuire

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duchess of Northumberland, sailing from Woolwich in 1852. Native of Glasgow, Lanarkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie McGuire

    Arrived in Queensland in 1900 aboard the Jumna, aged 19.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,931 records for McGuire in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). 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).

Canada496 records

496 records of the McGuire name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 351
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 43
  • Other Canadian records 102
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas McGuire

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Circassian, landing at Quebec, bound for Stayner, 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 Christina Ruth McGuire

    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 Geraldine Olive Elizabeth McGuire

    Died 1965 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 496 records for McGuire 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. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. 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).

United Kingdom140 records

140 records of the McGuire name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 85
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 49
  • Other British records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James McGuire

    Died 1956, aged 68; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Adriana McGuire

    Buried in 1826 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 52.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John McGuire

    Died 1917. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 140 records for McGuire 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) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (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 Zealand56 records

56 records of the McGuire name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 48
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 5
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret McGuire

    Died 1979, aged 73; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas William McGuire

    Died 1912, aged 53; buried at Linwood 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 McGuire

    Buried in 1876 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 45.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 56 records for McGuire in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · 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).

Ireland10 records

10 records of the McGuire name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John McGuire

    Died 1854, aged 82; buried at Killogilleen, 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 Patrick McGuire

    Died 1966, aged 81; buried at Dunmore, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 10 records for McGuire in Ireland.

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).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the McGuire name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John McGuire

    Married in 1945 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Thomas Mc. Guire

    In the population register of Vlissingen; born 1870 in Limerick, Ireland.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Vlissingen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for McGuire in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McGuire.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McGuire 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 McGuire volume
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