The McVey surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,848 people carried this name — #4,018 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 33,300 people counted. That is up 1% from 8,788 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

Where the name comes from

The origin of the McVey surname

Variant of McBeth, from the aspirated form Mac Bheatha.

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

McVey was recorded 34 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 731st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 58. 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

In 1790, McVey was counted together with McVay: 35 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 172 people lived in those households, 4.9 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McVay, M Vay, McVea, M Vea, McVeagh, McVey, M Vey, McVie. 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 15
Maryland 9
South Carolina 5
North Carolina 3
Virginia 2
Connecticut 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

McVey in American newspapers,
1911–1912.

Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name McVey
The Milwaukee Leader 1911-12-26
Newspaper page from The Logan Republican carrying the name McVey
The Logan Republican 1912-02-29
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Tribune carrying the name McVey
The Salt Lake Tribune 1912-02-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 51,693 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McVey in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1990s.

4,336 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McVey. The most, 2,160, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 1,400
New South Wales 1,373
Victoria 717
South Australia 350
Western Australia 220
Tasmania 166
ACT (Canberra) 75
Northern Territory 15

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

Who carried it

People named McVey,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Patrick McVey
    Patrick McVey 1910–1973 · film actor
  • Tyler McVey
    Tyler McVey 1912–2003 · film actor
  • Sam McVey
    Sam McVey 1884–1921 · boxer
  • Cal McVey
    Cal McVey 1849–1926 · baseball player
  • Lucille McVey
    Lucille McVey 1890–1925 · film actor

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

In the public record

People named McVey,
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 States1,278 records

1,278 records of the McVey name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 373
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 324
  • Other U.S. records 581
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James S. McVey

    Born 1921 in Oregon. Enlisted 1942 at Spokane, Washington; factory foreman. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    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 Sarah A. McVey

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Anchoria from Glasgow, aged 18; servant. From Londonderry, Ireland.

    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 John Wesley McVey

    Born 1947; from Bartlesville, Oklahoma. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Kien Hoa, South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 1,278 records for McVey in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · 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). 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).

Australia139 records

139 records of the McVey name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 67
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 33
  • Other Australian records 39
  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 Helen McVey

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Tory, sailing from London in 1845. Native of Armagh. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John McVey

    Died 1851 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 40. Will registered in Tasmania in 1851.

    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 James McVey

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Tasmania, aged 29; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 139 records for McVey 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). 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom33 records

33 records of the McVey name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 21
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Isabella McVey

    Buried in 1967 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 84.

    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 J. McVey

    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    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 Patrick McVey

    Buried in 1911 at Valley Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 69.

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

Showing 3 of 33 records for McVey 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).

Canada25 records

25 records of the McVey name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 7
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 7
  • Other Canadian records 11
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Chas McVey

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Scandavian, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record James McVey

    Killed in 1891 at the Springhill Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Muriel E. W. McVey

    Buried in 1972 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 72.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 25 records for McVey 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. · 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. · 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. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand12 records

12 records of the McVey name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 11
  • Timaru and Mackenzie District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Susan Elizabeth McVey

    Died 1962, aged 78; 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 Horatio Trafalgar Nelson McVey

    Died 1967, aged 61; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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 James McVey

    Died 1917, aged 68; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for McVey in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ). 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 McVey.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McVey 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 McVey volume
Scroll to Top