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

McGough, 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 McGough surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGough in America

McGough is the 6574th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGough surname appeared 5,150 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 McGough.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGough 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 McGough

The surname McGough has its origins in Ireland and is a variant of the Gaelic name Mac Eochadha, meaning "son of Eochaidh". Eochaidh is derived from the Old Irish word "ech", meaning "horse". The name is thought to have originated in County Donegal, a region in the northwest of Ireland, where it was prevalent among the clans of that area.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In these annals, the name is spelled in various ways, including Mac Eochadha, Mac Eochaidh, and Mac Eochadh.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name was Niall Mac Eochadha, a prominent chieftain in County Donegal, who lived in the late 14th century. Another early bearer of the name was Domhnall Mac Eochadha, a renowned poet and scholar who flourished in the 16th century.

As the name spread beyond its original region, variations in spelling emerged, including McGough, McGow, and McGoo. Some of these variations were influenced by anglicization or adaptations to different regional dialects.

In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many McGoughs were dispossessed of their lands and scattered throughout Ireland and beyond. Some found their way to Scotland, where the name took on the form McGough or McGow.

A notable figure from this period was Eoghan McGough, a soldier who fought for the Confederate Catholics during the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653). He was later executed for his role in the conflict.

In the 18th century, the McGough name appeared in various parts of Ireland, with concentrations in counties like Donegal, Derry, and Tyrone. One prominent individual was Séamus McGough (1718-1788), a renowned Irish harper and composer.

As the Irish diaspora spread across the globe, the McGough name found its way to various corners of the world. In the 19th century, James McGough (1810-1889), an Irish-born author and journalist, made a name for himself in the United States, where he worked as a newspaper editor and published several books.

Another notable figure was Roger McGough (born 1937), an English poet, playwright, and children's author, who was part of the Liverpool literary scene in the 1960s and is widely regarded as one of Britain's most celebrated contemporary poets.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGough

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

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 McGough 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 McGough 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 McGough was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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