The McQueen surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 19,760 people carried this name — #1,814 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,900 people counted. That is up 6% from 18,701 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McQueen surname

As a Scottish Gaelic and Irish surname, from Mac Shuibhne (“son of Suibhne”), a byname meaning "pleasant." See McSweeney.

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

McQueen was recorded 44 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 591st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 87. 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

24 families named McQueen, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 111 people lived in those households, 4.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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

North Carolina 10
New York 6
South Carolina 6
Connecticut 1
Maryland 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

McQueen in American newspapers,
1884–1917.

Newspaper page from The True Democrat carrying the name McQueen
The True Democrat 1909-12-04
Newspaper page from Centre Democrat carrying the name McQueen
Centre Democrat 1884-05-01
Newspaper page from The Columbus Commercial carrying the name McQueen
The Columbus Commercial 1917-02-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 56,734 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McQueen in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

17,917 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McQueen. The most, 4,746, 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 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 5,126
Victoria 4,199
Queensland 2,785
Western Australia 2,410
South Australia 2,039
Tasmania 1,189
ACT (Canberra) 104
Northern Territory 46

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

Who carried it

People named McQueen,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Steve McQueen
    Steve McQueen 1930–1980 · television actor
  • Gordon McQueen
    Gordon McQueen 1952–2023 · association football player
  • Butterfly McQueen
    Butterfly McQueen 1911–1995 · television actor
  • Armelia McQueen
    Armelia McQueen 1952–2020 · television actor
  • Alexander McQueen 1969–2010 · fashion designer
  • Chad McQueen 1960–2024 · film actor

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

In the public record

People named McQueen,
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 States638 records

638 records of the McQueen name in the United States
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 209
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 206
  • Other U.S. records 223
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edwin C. McQueen

    Born 1914 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1940 at Charlotte, from Washington County, Tennessee. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1978, buried at Mountain Home National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    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 Claude Edward McQueen

    Born 1949; from Washington, D.C. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, 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 Margarett McQueen

    Arrived at New York in 1849 aboard the Patrick Henry from Liverpool, aged 40; housekeeper. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 638 records for McQueen in the United States.

Counts: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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).

Australia1,204 records

1,204 records of the McQueen name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 571
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 217
  • Other Australian records 416
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Phoebe McQueen

    Died 1925 in Bellerive, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1925.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elizabeth McQueen

    Born 1874 in Longford, Tasmania. Died 1899 in Longford, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 James McQueen

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Hooghley, arriving 1834; certificate of freedom 1841.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 1,204 records for McQueen 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada494 records

494 records of the McQueen name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 377
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 43
  • Other Canadian records 74
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Neil McQueen

    Buried in 1976 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 76.

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

    Died 1869 in Moose River, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

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

    Died in service in 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 494 records for McQueen 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom120 records

120 records of the McQueen name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 96
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 14
  • Other British records 10
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John McQueen

    Born 1884 at Cromdale; mason. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Betsy Buchanan McQueen

    Died 1945, aged 85; buried at Kippen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. 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 Alexander McQueen

    Born 1894 at Ad vie; distillery worker. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

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

Showing 3 of 120 records for McQueen 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) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand12 records

12 records of the McQueen name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 11
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Charles McQueen

    Died 1889, aged 32; buried at Addington 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 Duncan McQueen

    Died 1962; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bruce Raymond McQueen

    Died 1984, aged 60; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for McQueen in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McQueen.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McQueen 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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