McGinty
An Irish surname that likely began as a Gaelic clan name, with several spelling forms clustered around MacGinty, Maginty, and Ginnity.
The #5,697 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,747 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McGinty is an Anglicized Irish surname. The historical spellings suggest it belongs to the Gaelic Mac- name family, but the exact original Gaelic form is not fully secure from the excerpts alone. The sources group it with variants such as MacGinty, Maginty, Ginnity, and related spellings, which points to an Irish patronymic surname that was later reshaped by English spelling.
History
The name is found in Ireland under several spellings, especially in Ulster and nearby areas where many Gaelic surnames were Anglicized in more than one way. Like many Irish surnames, it could appear as Mac-, Mc-, or without the prefix altogether. The 19th-century sources treat it as part of a cluster of related Irish names rather than as a completely isolated surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries often listed McGinty alongside a whole family of spelling variants, showing how fluid Irish surnames could be before standard spelling took hold.
From the historical record
“mAC An cSaoi, MacAtee, Mac Entee, Maclntee, MacKenty, MacKinty, MacGinty, etc. 63”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames