The Monaghan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,968 people carried this name — #4,452 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 37,000 people counted. That is up 5% from 7,613 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Monaghan surname

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison classes it as a Celtic name: ‘Monk’.

From the Irish and Gaelic manach, “a monk”, with the diminutive -án.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 26 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 140 births for the Monaghan name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 6,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Monahan.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 49
Ulster 44
Leinster 36
Munster 11

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

In Scotland’s registers today

Monaghan 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 101. 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

Monaghan in American newspapers,
1897–1911.

Newspaper page from The Union carrying the name Monaghan
The Union 1897-05-29
Newspaper page from The Intermountain Catholic carrying the name Monaghan
The Intermountain Catholic 1908-04-11
Newspaper page from Las Vegas Optic carrying the name Monaghan
Las Vegas Optic 1911-02-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 57,641 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Monaghan in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

38,800 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Monaghan. The most, 6,234, 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 Western Australia, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 15,819
Victoria 6,874
Western Australia 5,406
Queensland 4,648
Tasmania 3,288
South Australia 2,227
ACT (Canberra) 465
Northern Territory 13

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

Who carried it

People named Monaghan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Robert E. Monaghan
    Robert E. Monaghan 1822–1895 · lawyer
  • Thomas Monaghan
    Thomas Monaghan 1833–1895 · trumpeter
  • Patrick H. Monaghan
    Patrick H. Monaghan 1843–1917
  • John James Joseph Monaghan
    John James Joseph Monaghan 1856–1935 · Catholic priest
  • John R. Monaghan
    John R. Monaghan 1873–1899 · military officer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 114 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Monaghan,
in the records of 8 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 States4,024 records

4,024 records of the Monaghan name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,841
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 894
  • Other U.S. records 1,289
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George J. Monaghan

    Born 1909 in Michigan. Enlisted 1941 at Detroit; auto plant worker from Wayne County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1990, buried at Dayton National Cemetery, Ohio.

    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 Bridget Monaghan

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the City of Berlin from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 25; servant. From Galway, Ireland; bound for New York.

    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 Eugene Joseph Monaghan

    Born 1931; from Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, combat construction specialist; declared dead 1951 in South Korea.

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

Showing 3 of 4,024 records for Monaghan in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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) · 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); 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).

Australia1,161 records

1,161 records of the Monaghan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 425
  • Tasmanian Names Index 260
  • Other Australian records 476
  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 Edward Monaghan

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

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Michael Monaghan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Hyderabad, sailing from Queenstown in 1850. Native of Kings. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 23.

    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 Charles Monaghan

    Arrived in Victoria in 1861 aboard the Detroit, as an infant; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,161 records for Monaghan 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) · State Library of Western Australia (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).

Canada170 records

170 records of the Monaghan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 130
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 10
  • Other Canadian records 30
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Monaghan

    Came to Ontario in 1868 aboard the Hibernian, landing at Quebec, bound for Kingston, Ontario; Irish.

    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 John Edward Monaghan

    Buried in 1988 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 66.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Charles Monaghan

    Buried in 1973 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 60.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 170 records for Monaghan 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. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · 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. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · 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); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Ireland80 records

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

    Died 1995, aged 73; buried at Moylough, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Monaghan

    Died 1995, aged 80; buried at Dunmore, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael P. Monaghan

    Died 1948, aged 67; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 80 records for Monaghan in Ireland.

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).

United Kingdom78 records

78 records of the Monaghan name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 67
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 11
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janet G. Johnston Monaghan

    Died 1955, aged 62; 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 D. Monaghan

    Scottish Rifles. 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 William Monaghan

    Buried in 1888 at Valley Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 57.

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

Showing 3 of 78 records for Monaghan 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 Zealand5 records

5 records of the Monaghan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 4
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Monaghan

    Died 1931, aged 30; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record H. Monaghan

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

Showing 2 of 5 records for Monaghan in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · 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); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Monaghan 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 David Monaghan

    Born 1972 in the United Kingdom; died 1992 in Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Monaghan in France.

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).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Monaghan name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Theodor Monaghan

    Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 1 November 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Monaghan.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Monaghan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Monaghan 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 Monaghan volume
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