# McGrath (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mcgrath/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 34,871 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,006 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 8,854 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.5% (34,031 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /məˈɡɹɔː/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Craith, perhaps a variant of Mac Raith (“son of Rath”), a byname from rath (“abundance, prosperity”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named McGrath in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 94% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named McGrath in the United States and Australia.

## People named McGrath

- Bob McGrath, American actor (1932–2022)
- Tom McGrath, American voice actor, animator and film director
- Douglas McGrath, American actor and director
- Glenn McGrath, Australian cricketer
- Jack McGrath, American racing driver
- Mark McGrath, American singer and television host
- Vivian McGrath, Australian tennis player (1916–1978)
- J. Howard McGrath, American politician (1903-1966)
- Jeremy McGrath, American motorcycle racer
- Gulliver McGrath, Australian actor
- Paul McGrath, American actor (1904-1978)
- Felix McGrath, American alpine skier

and 4 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

McCarthy, McArthur, McGrady, McCart, McGarity, McGirt, McGarrity, McGourty, McCarty, McCord, McCartney, McCurdy.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.