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Home › Baby Names Directory › Mcgwire

Mcgwire

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Mcgwire

Pronounced muh-GWIRE /məˈgwaɪər/Medium

Meaning: Mcgwire is a spelling of the Irish surname Maguire/McGuire, from Mac Uidhir, 'son of Odhar' (a byname meaning 'dun-colored, pale'). As a given name it honors the baseball slugger Mark McGwire, whose 1998 home-run record made his surname briefly a first name.Low

In 30 seconds: Mcgwire is the surname McGwire given as a first name for baseball's Mark McGwire (said muh-GWIRE). Its short window, peaking in 1999, follows his 1998 home-run record.
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Origin MediumIrish
MeaningMcgwire is a spelling of the Irish surname Maguire/McGuire, from Mac Uidhir, 'son of Odhar' (a byname meaning 'dun-colored, pale'). As a given name it honors the baseball slugger Mark McGwire, whose 1998 home-run record made his surname briefly a first name.
U.S. rank (2005)#12691 ↘ Falling
2005 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1999
Total births (all-time)≈ 97

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199919982005

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Mcgwire takes the surname of Mark McGwire and uses it as a first name. The surname is a spelling of the Irish Maguire/McGuire, from Mac Uidhir, 'son of Odhar' — Odhar being a byname meaning 'dun-colored' or 'pale'. Mark McGwire's celebrated 1998 season, when he broke the single-season home-run record, briefly turned his name into a baby name for a handful of American families.

In the U.S. record Mcgwire appears from 1998 and reaches its small peak in 1999, directly after that record season, then fades by the mid-2000s — one of the clearest sports-namesake arcs in its tier. A boy named Mcgwire from that peak is now in his twenties. It has always been extremely rare, a surname tribute rather than a traditional first name; note that it is a surname, and no first-name bearer is asserted.

Did you know? The name's American arc tracks a single sports moment: it appears right after Mark McGwire's record-breaking 1998 season and peaks in 1999, a clear fingerprint of a sports-hero namesake.
Overall data confidence 55%
References — Mcgwire — Surname Maguire/McGuire, Mac Uidhir 'son of Odhar'; tribute to Mark McGwire; span tracks 1998 record

Variations

McGwireMacgwireMcGuire

Nicknames

MacGwireMac

Famous Bearers

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If you like Mcgwire…

Mcguire— the standard surname spelling behind the name
Maguire— the Irish form of the same surname
Mccoy— a fellow Mc- surname used as a first name
Mckinley— another Mc- surname-name for boys

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Mcgwire mean?

Mcgwire is a spelling of the Irish surname Maguire, meaning 'son of Odhar (the pale one)', honoring Mark McGwire.

How do you pronounce Mcgwire?

It's said muh-GWIRE /məˈgwaɪər/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Mcgwire a boy or girl name?

Mcgwire is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Mcgwire?

Mcgwire has always been extremely rare in the U.S., a surname tribute to baseball's Mark McGwire.

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