The McKelvey surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,043 people carried this name — #4,985 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 41,800 people counted. That is up 3% from 6,870 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

Where the name comes from

The origin of the McKelvey surname

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Bhuidhe.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McKelvey» (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 24 births for the McKelvey name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 3 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 23
Leinster 1

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

In print

McKelvey in American newspapers,
1902–1930.

Newspaper page from The Bozeman Courier carrying the name McKelvey
The Bozeman Courier 1927-08-12
Newspaper page from Ottumwa Semi-weekly Courier carrying the name McKelvey
Ottumwa Semi-weekly Courier 1902-05-20
Newspaper page from The Lusk Herald carrying the name McKelvey
The Lusk Herald 1930-12-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 26,001 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McKelvey in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

2,011 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McKelvey. The most, 659, 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 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,469
Queensland 293
Victoria 182
ACT (Canberra) 21
South Australia 12
Western Australia 12
Tasmania 8

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

Who carried it

People named McKelvey,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joe McKelvey
    Joe McKelvey 1898–1922 · military personnel
  • John Jay McKelvey Sr.
    John Jay McKelvey Sr. 1863–1947 · lawyer
  • Susan Delano McKelvey 1883–1964 · scientific collector
  • Andrew McKelvey 1934–2008 · entrepreneur
  • William McKelvey 1934–2016 · politician

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

In the public record

People named McKelvey,
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 States373 records

373 records of the McKelvey name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 176
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 91
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 33
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 29
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 26
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 9
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • 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 Carl McKelvey

    Born 1913 in Texas. Enlisted 1940 at Lawton, Oklahoma; cook from Commanche County, Oklahoma. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Lawton, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Daniel McKelvey

    Born 1947; from Florence, Alabama. U.S. Army, field artillery basic; killed in action 1968 in Kontum, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ann McKelvey

    Arrived at New York in 1848 aboard the Rosa Linda from Belfast, aged 15; seamstress. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 373 records for McKelvey in the United States.

Counts: 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, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · 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, WWII Army Enlistment 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia83 records

83 records of the McKelvey name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 45
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 11
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 11
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 8
  • Tasmanian Names Index 7
  • 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 Mary McKelvey

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Tyrone.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Potosi, aged 23; 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 David McKelvey

    Constable of East Collingwood, Victoria; died 1868.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 83 records for McKelvey 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) · 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).

Canada17 records

17 records of the McKelvey name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 12
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alice McKelvey

    Died 1984; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John McKelvey

    Buried in 1922 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    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 Edwin Robert McKelvey

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 17 records for McKelvey in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · 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 Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. 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).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the McKelvey 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 James Crawford McKelvey

    Died 1965, aged 49; 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).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the McKelvey 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 A. McKelvey

    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)

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).

Ireland1 record

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

    Died 1799, aged 60; buried at White Chapel, 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 McKelvey.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McKelvey 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 McKelvey volume
Scroll to Top