How common is the surname McMahon?

39,411 people in the United States had the surname McMahon in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,834 Americans. It ranked 883rd of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname McMahon?

In the 2010 Census, 93% of people named McMahon identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named McMahon?

Vince McMahon, American professional wrestling promoter (born 1945), followed by Stephanie McMahon.

Where is the surname McMahon most common?

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

How do you pronounce McMahon?

McMahon is /məkˈmeɪən/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname McMahon getting more or less common?

More common. 38,557 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,411 in 2010, up 2.2%.

The surname McMahon

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 39,411 people in the United States.

Pronounced /məkˈmeɪən/ 3 syllables Soundex M255

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McMahon is more common than 99.5% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Mathúna, earlier spelling Mac Mathghamhna (literally “son of the bear”), from Middle Irish mac (“son”) and mathgamain (“bear”).

McMahon is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 39,411 people named McMahon in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,834 Americans. That is up 2.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 38,557.

#883

rank among US surnames

39,411

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.2%

change since 2000 (was #819)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#874	Nava	39,670	7,783
#875	Ayers	39,623	7,792
#876	Everett	39,593	7,798
#877	Ventura	39,580	7,801
#878	Avery	39,564	7,804
#879	Pugh	39,559	7,805
#880	Mayer	39,555	7,805

Who is named McMahon

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

93% of people named McMahon identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 2.3% as Black (not Hispanic).

White (not Hispanic) 93%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Black (not Hispanic) 2.3%
Two or more races 1.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous McMahons

17 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Vince McMahon
American professional wrestling promoter (born 1945)
Stephanie McMahon
American professional wrestler and executive, born 1976
Julian McMahon
Australian–American actor (1968–2025)
William McMahon
Australian politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (1908–1988)
Shane McMahon
American businessman and professional wrestler, born 1970
Vincent J. McMahon
American professional wrestling promoter (1914–1984)
Ed McMahon
American announcer, game show host, actor, and spokesman (1923-2009)
Jess McMahon
(1882-1954) American professional wrestling and boxing promoter
Andrew McMahon
American musician, born 1982
Brien McMahon
American politician (1903–1952)
Horace McMahon
American actor (1906–1971)
Jim McMahon
American football player, born 1959

Notable McMahons come mostly from the United States (13) and Australia (4).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like McMahon

McMahon has the Soundex code M255, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M255.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname McMahon come from?: Anglicized form of Irish Mac Mathúna, earlier spelling Mac Mathghamhna (literally “son of the bear”), from Middle Irish mac (“son”) and mathgamain (“bear”).
How common is the surname McMahon?: 39,411 people in the United States had the surname McMahon in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,834 Americans. It ranked 883rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname McMahon?: In the 2010 Census, 93% of people named McMahon identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named McMahon?: Vince McMahon, American professional wrestling promoter (born 1945), followed by Stephanie McMahon.
Where is the surname McMahon most common?: Wikidata records people named McMahon in the United States and Australia.
How do you pronounce McMahon?: McMahon is /məkˈmeɪən/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is McMahon?: McMahon is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname McMahon getting more or less common?: More common. 38,557 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,411 in 2010, up 2.2%.