McCain is an Irish & Scottish English-language surname of Irish origin derived from
Gaelic. The surname McCain first appeared in
Derry in the province of
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
and is
Anglicised form "Mac Cathain and
Ó Catháin
The O'Cahan (Irish: ''Ó Catháin'' 'descendants of Cahan') were a powerful sept of the Northern Uí Néill’s Cenél nEógain in medieval Ireland. The name is presently anglicized as Keane, O'Kane and Kane.
The O'Cahan's originated in Lagga ...
Other spelling variations include O'Kane, Keane, McClaskey, Kane, O'Cain, McCain and many more
People with the surname
American military/political family
*Many McCains fought in the American Revolution; one such was
Capt John Young McCain (1760–1850) Gen. of George Washington's staff
[McCain and Salter, Faith of My Fathers, p. 19.]
*
John S. McCain Sr. (1884–1945), US Navy vice admiral
**
John S. McCain Jr. (1911–1981), US Navy admiral, son of John S. McCain, Sr.
**
Roberta McCain
Roberta Wright McCain (February 7, 1912 – October 12, 2020) was an American socialite and oil heiress. She was the wife of Admiral John S. McCain Jr., with whom she had three children including U.S. Senator John S. McCain III and stage ...
(1912–2020), wife of John S. McCain, Jr., mother of John S. McCain III
***
Sandy McCain (1934–2019), sister of John S. McCain III
***
John McCain (John S. McCain III) (1936–2018), US Senator, presidential candidate (2000, 2008), navy pilot, Vietnam War POW, son of John S. McCain, Jr.
***
Carol McCain
Carol Shepp McCain (born 1937 or 1938) is an American former political aide and event planner who served as the director of the White House Visitors Office from 1981 to 1987, during the Reagan administration. She was the first wife of United S ...
(born 1937), ex-wife of John S. McCain III
****Douglas McCain, adopted son of John S. McCain III
****
Andrew McCain (born 1962), adopted son of John S. McCain III
****
Sidney McCain (born 1966), daughter of John S. McCain III
***
Cindy McCain
Cindy Lou McCain (; born May 20, 1954) is an American diplomat, businesswoman, and humanitarian. McCain has served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture since November 5, 2021. She is the widow of U.S. Sena ...
(born 1954), wife of John S. McCain III
****
Meghan McCain
Meghan Marguerite McCain (born October 23, 1984) is an American television personality, columnist, and author. She has worked for ABC News, Fox News, and MSNBC. The daughter of politician John McCain and diplomat Cindy McCain, she has been a pu ...
(born 1984), daughter of John S. McCain III
****
Renee Swift McCain (born 1983), wife of John Sidney McCain IV
****
James McCain (born 1988), son of John S. McCain III
****
Bridget McCain (born 1991), adopted daughter of John S. McCain III
***
Joe McCain
Joseph Pinckney McCain II (born April 26, 1942) is an American stage actor, newspaper reporter, and the brother of the late U.S. Senator and two-time presidential candidate John McCain.
Early life and education
Joseph Pinckney McCain II was born ...
(born 1942), brother of John S. McCain III
Other people with the surname
*
Ben McCain
Ben McCain (born 25 June 1955) is an American actor, broadcaster, producer and one half of The McCain Brothers, a singing-songwriting duo. McCain appeared as news anchor Aries West in MGM's comedy Bio-Dome, the character, Travis, in Roger Corma ...
(born 1955), co-host of a morning television program in Oklahoma City
*
Betty Ray McCain
Betty Landon Ray McCain (born Betty Landon Ray; February 23, 1931 – November 23, 2022) was an American politician and political strategist. She was the North Carolina Secretary of Cultural Resources during Governor Jim Hunt's administration a ...
(1931-2022), American politician
*
Bobby McCain (born 1993), American footballer
*
Brandi McCain
Brandi McCain (born September 21, 1979) is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a guard in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for a single season in 2002. McCain played college basketball for the U ...
(born 1979), former American college and professional basketballer
*
Brice McCain (born 1986), American footballer
*
Butch McCain
Butch McCain is an American actor, an award winning broadcaster, producer and one-half of the singing-songwriting team, The McCain Brothers. Butch appeared as TV reporter Joachim West in MGM's Bio-Dome, the character, Creel, in Roger Corman's re ...
, half of the singing songwriting team, The McCain Brothers
*
Chris McCain (born 1991), American footballer
*
Donald "Ginger" McCain (1930–2011), British horse trainer
*
Edwin McCain
Edwin Cole McCain (born January 20, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His songs " I'll Be" (1998) and "I Could Not Ask for More" (1999) were radio top-40 hits in the U.S., and five of his albums have reached the ''Billboard ...
(born 1970), American singer-songwriter
*
Elske McCain (born 1976), American film actress
*
Eric McCain (born 1986), former professional gridiron footballer
*
Frances Lee McCain
Frances Lee McCain (born July 28, 1943) is an American actress.
Early life and education
McCain was born in York, Pennsylvania and grew up in New York, Illinois and Colorado in addition to California. She graduated from Ripon College with ...
(born 1944), American actress
*
Franklin McCain (1941–2014), American civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four
*
Fred McCain (1917–1997), Canadian politician
*
Gillian McCain
Gillian McCain (born January 1, 1966) is a Canadian poet, author, and photography collector best known for ''Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk'', which she co-wrote with Legs McNeil. McCain is the author of two books of poetry: '' ...
(born 1966), Canadian poet, author, and photography collector
*
Harrison McCain
Harrison McCain (3 November 1927 – 18 March 2004) was a Canadian businessman and co-founder, along with his three brothers, of international frozen foods giant McCain Foods.
Early life
McCain was born in Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunsw ...
(1927–2004), Canadian businessmen co-founder of McCain Foods
*
Henry Pinckney McCain (1861–1941), officer in the United States Army
*
Hugh H. McCain (1854–????), produce dealer and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada
*
Ida McCain (1884–????), American architect
Jasper McCain ( born 1928- Died 2013) Sgt. Air Force 1947, National Commander Amvets (Post 8), Board of Directors Michigan Veteran Homes D.J. Jacobetti
*
Jerry McCain
Jerry McCain, often billed as Jerry "Boogie" McCain (June 18, 1930 – March 28, 2012), was an American electric blues musician, best known as a harmonica player.
Biography
Born near Gadsden, Alabama, United States, he was one of five childr ...
(1930–2012), blues performer
*
Justin McCain (born 1979), American musician, songwriter, producer and label executive
*
Kelly McCain (born 1983), former professional tennis player
*
Mac McCain (born 1998), American football player
*
Margaret McCain
Margaret Norrie McCain ( Norrie; born October 1, 1934) is a Canadian philanthropist who was the first woman to serve as the lieutenant governor of New Brunswick.
She is known for her work in the promotion of early childhood education. As a me ...
(born 1934), Canadian philanthropist and lieutenant governor of New Brunswick (1994–1997)
*
Michael McCain (born 1958), president and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods
*
Patrick McCain
Patrick McCain (born March 21, 1992) is an indoor football quarterback who currently is a free agent. McCain previously played for the Nebraska Danger and Tri-Cities Fever of the Indoor Football League (IFL), and Orlando Predators of the Nation ...
(born 1992), indoor footballer
*
Robert Stacy McCain
Robert Stacy McCain (born October 6, 1959) is an American conservative journalist, writer, and blogger. McCain is a former assistant national editor and reporter for ''The Washington Times'' and co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of the 2006 book ' ...
(born 1959), American author and journalist
*
Rufus McCain
Rufus Roy McCain (July 7, 1903 – December 3, 1940) was a prisoner at Alcatraz who attempted escape with Henri Young and Arthur Barker in 1939.
Attempt
On the night of January 13, 1939, McCain, with Young, Barker, and two other men, attempted es ...
(1903–1940), Alcatraz prisoner
*
Scott McCain (born 1958), former professional tennis player
*
Stephen McCain, retired American gymnast
*
Vernon McCain (1908–1993), football coach
*
W. T. McCain (1913–1993), American legislator and judge
*
Wallace McCain
George Wallace Ferguson McCain (April 9, 1930 – May 13, 2011) was a Canadian businessman and co-founder of McCain Foods. With an estimated net worth of $US 4.15 billion (as of 2018), McCain was ranked by ''Forbes'' as the 13th wealthiest ...
(1930–2011), Canadian businessmen and co-founder of McCain Foods
*
William David McCain
William David McCain (March 29, 1907, in Bellefontaine, Mississippi – September 5, 1993) was an educator, archivist and college president. He was a recognized leader of the Mississippi political establishment and a leader in its stru ...
(1907–1993), American archivist and college president
*
Yvonne McCain (1948–2011), lead plaintiff in landmark lawsuit
Characters
* Chase McCain, the main protagonist of the video game ''
Lego City Undercover
''Lego City Undercover'' is an action-adventure video game developed by TT Fusion and published by Nintendo for the Wii U in 2013. It was later re-released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows via Steam by Warner B ...
''
* Desmond McCain, the main antagonist in the eight Alex Rider book, ''
Crocodile Tears
Crocodile tears, or superficial sympathy, is a false, insincere display of emotion such as a hypocrite crying fake tears of grief. The phrase derives from an ancient belief that crocodiles shed tears while consuming their prey, and as such is p ...
''
*
Eden McCain, a character from the TV show ''Heroes''
*
Lucas McCain, a character from the TV show ''The Rifleman''
**
Mark McCain, the son of Lucas McCain
See also
*
McCain (disambiguation)
*
McKean (disambiguation)
References
{{surname, McCain
Surnames
Surnames of Irish origin
Surnames of English origin
Surnames of British Isles origin
English-language surnames