The McNaughton surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,287 people carried this name — #7,744 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 69,000 people counted. That is up 4% from 4,110 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McNaughton surname

From the Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, Anglicized form of Mac Neachtain, a patronymic surname from the personal name Neachtan, a name of the god of water in Irish mythology, of uncertain ultimate origin; see Nechtan.

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

In Scotland, 1880s

McNaughton was 12 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 833. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Perthshire.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 592 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

McNaughton was recorded 49 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 532nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 73. 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

21 families named McNaughton, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 101 people lived in those households, 4.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. 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

New York 11
North Carolina 5
Pennsylvania 4
Virginia 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. 253 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McNaughton in American newspapers,
1896–1914.

Newspaper page from Marietta Daily Leader carrying the name McNaughton
Marietta Daily Leader 1896-06-15
Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name McNaughton
The Milwaukee Leader 1914-01-17
Newspaper page from Perrysburg Journal carrying the name McNaughton
Perrysburg Journal 1903-02-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 22,868 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McNaughton in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

11,405 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McNaughton. The most, 2,545, 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 Victoria, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 4,221
New South Wales 3,326
South Australia 1,310
Queensland 1,216
Western Australia 952
Tasmania 290
ACT (Canberra) 49
Northern Territory 15

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

Who carried it

People named McNaughton,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Duncan McNaughton
    Duncan McNaughton 1910–1998 · high jumper
  • Andrew McNaughton
    Andrew McNaughton 1887–1966 · diplomat
  • William John McNaughton 1926–2020 · Catholic priest
  • Gus McNaughton 1881–1969 · film director
  • Bill McNaughton 1905–1980 · association football player

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

In the public record

People named McNaughton,
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 States773 records

773 records of the McNaughton name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 210
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 159
  • Other U.S. records 404
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James D. McNaughton

    Born 1920 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at New Cumberland; ironworker from Dauphin County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1983, buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (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 Eugene V. McNaughton

    Born 1916 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Macarthur San Pedro, California; blacksmith. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1986, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

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

    Born 1931; from Columbia County, New York. U.S. Army, heavy weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in North Korea.

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

Showing 3 of 773 records for McNaughton 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 · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Australia910 records

910 records of the McNaughton name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 504
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 276
  • Other Australian records 130
  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 Archibald McNaughton

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Pyramus, sailing from London in 1838. Native of Stirling, Stirlingshire.

    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 Elizabeth McNaughton

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Earl of Charlemont, aged 10; Scottish.

    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 Ian Malcolm McNaughton

    Farmer of Nathalia, Victoria; died 1994.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 910 records for McNaughton in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada393 records

393 records of the McNaughton name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 294
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 29
  • Other Canadian records 70
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm McNaughton

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Manitoban, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; Scotch.

    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 Ivy McNaughton

    Died 1996, aged 90; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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

    Died 1962 in Stellarton, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 393 records for McNaughton 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 Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · 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 Kingdom149 records

149 records of the McNaughton name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 136
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 10
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William McNaughton

    Buried in 1915 at Mar Place Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 43.

    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 David S. McNaughton

    Died 1918. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. McNaughton

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 149 records for McNaughton 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) · 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 Zealand27 records

27 records of the McNaughton name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 22
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 4
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann McNaughton

    Died 1933, aged 28; buried at Bromley 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 Catherine McNaughton

    Buried in 1966 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 68.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ester Joan McNaughton

    Died 1992, aged 76; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 27 records for McNaughton in New Zealand.

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

France1 record

1 record of the McNaughton name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Samuel James McNaughton

    Born 1980 in Saint-Cloud; died 2000 in Sèvres (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the McNaughton name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Alexander McNaughton

    Married in 1946 in Ede; "garagehouder".

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McNaughton.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McNaughton 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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