The McQuade surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,430 people carried this name — #7,513 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 66,700 people counted. That is up 3% from 4,287 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the McQuade surname

Variant of McQuaid.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McQuade» (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

McQuade was recorded 39 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 655th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 55. 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

McQuade in American newspapers,
1911.

Newspaper page from The Bon Homme County Independent carrying the name McQuade
The Bon Homme County Independent 1911-05-04
Newspaper page from The Citizen-republican carrying the name McQuade
The Citizen-republican 1911-05-04
Newspaper page from Kingsbury County Independent carrying the name McQuade
Kingsbury County Independent 1911-05-12

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 15,774 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McQuade in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

7,861 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McQuade. The most, 1,522, date from the 1910s. 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 Western Australia, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,512
Victoria 1,947
Western Australia 940
Queensland 864
South Australia 458
Tasmania 106
ACT (Canberra) 24
Northern Territory 3

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

Who carried it

People named McQuade,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Arlene McQuade
    Arlene McQuade 1936–2014 · television actor
  • Johnny McQuade
    Johnny McQuade 1895–1980 · American football player
  • Arthur McQuade
    Arthur McQuade 1817–1884 · farmer
  • Martin McQuade 1894–1957 · Australian rules football player
  • John McQuade 1911–1984 · politician
  • Jim McQuade 1933–2020 · association football player

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

In the public record

People named McQuade,
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 States2,544 records

2,544 records of the McQuade name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,141
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 609
  • Other U.S. records 794
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas B. McQuade

    Born 1912 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; office machine operator. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1973, 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 Mary A. McQuade

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Ethiopia from Glasgow, aged 20; servant. From Londonderry, Ireland; bound for Connecticut.

    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 James Russell McQuade

    Born 1949; from Hoquiam, Washington. U.S. Army, air observation pilot; killed in action 1972 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 2,544 records for McQuade 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, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment 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). 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).

Australia432 records

432 records of the McQuade name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 223
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 69
  • Other Australian records 140
  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 McQuade

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Tyrone. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    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 Mary McQuade

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Derry Castle, aged 28; 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 Florence Mary McQuade

    Saleslady of Hurstbridge, Victoria; died 1990.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 432 records for McQuade 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada94 records

94 records of the McQuade name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 34
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 20
  • Other Canadian records 40
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Agnes McQuade

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 35; buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah McQuade

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

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  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 Norman Michael McQuade

    Died in service in 1943.

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

Showing 3 of 94 records for McQuade in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · 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: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom28 records

28 records of the McQuade name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 20
  • 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 Dorothy McQuade

    Died 1984, aged 80; buried at Bannockburn 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 G. McQuade

    Roy’Al Scots. 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 Margaret McQuade

    Died 1966, aged 71; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

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

Showing 3 of 28 records for McQuade 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).

New Zealand4 records

4 records of the McQuade name in New Zealand
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard Crawford McQuade

    Buried in 1919 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 78.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Norman Charles James McQuade

    Died 1989, aged 83; buried at Memorial Park 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 Elizabeth W. McQuade

    Buried in 1930 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 88.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for McQuade in New Zealand.

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · 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 McQuade.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McQuade 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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