Find out how popular the last name McGinn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McGinn.

McGinn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McGinn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGinn in America

McGinn is the 5807th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGinn surname appeared 5,955 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McGinn.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGinn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McGinn

The surname McGinn has its origins in Ireland, arising during the medieval period. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Ginn, which means "son of Ginn." The name Ginn itself is derived from the Old Irish word "genn," meaning "bright" or "radiant."

The McGinn surname is most prevalent in counties Donegal, Tyrone, and Armagh, suggesting that its earliest bearers were located in the northern regions of Ireland. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a medieval chronicle that covers events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th centuries.

One of the earliest known McGinns was Seán Óg Mac Ginn, a 16th-century Irish chieftain who ruled over the territory of Trough in County Monaghan. He was involved in numerous conflicts with the English authorities during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.

Another notable bearer of the name was Patrick McGinn, a 17th-century Irish priest and historian who authored the work "De Praesulibus Hiberniae," a chronicle of the lives of Irish bishops.

In the 18th century, James McGinn (1744-1817) was a prominent Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Carrickfergus from 1790 to 1800.

During the 19th century, Eliza McGinn (1819-1892) was a notable Irish novelist and poet who published several works under the pen name "Ethna Elliot."

One of the most famous McGinns of the 20th century was Roger McGinn (1944-2002), an American singer-songwriter and co-founder of the influential folk rock band The Byrds.

The name McGinn has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Ballymacginn in County Antrim and Ballinamcginn in County Armagh, further reflecting its deep roots in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGinn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McGinn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McGinn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McGinn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McGinn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McGinn, please contact us.

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