Mackaye Surname
Approximately 612 people bear this surname
Mackaye Surname Definition:
The surname McKay is of Scots origin, coming from the Scots Gaelic MacAoidh which means ‘son of Aodh’. The original meaning of the first name Aodh remains uncertain, but the most probable translation is ‘fire’. This would thus have been a nickname, referring probably to the temperament (or possibly the complexion or hair-colour) of the holder.
Read More About This SurnameMackaye Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chad | 578 | 1:23,516 | 2,818 |
| United States | 30 | 1:12,081,964 | 463,456 |
| Belarus | 1 | 1:9,501,059 | 159,228 |
| Belgium | 1 | 1:11,496,644 | 167,539 |
| China | 1 | 1:1,367,321,566 | 51,149 |
| Russia | 1 | 1:144,123,056 | 881,408 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 10 | 1:5,021,868 | 210,693 |
The alternate forms: MacKayé (1) are calculated separately.
Mackaye (13) may also be a first name.
Mackaye Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
The surname McKay is of Scots origin, coming from the Scots Gaelic MacAoidh which means ‘son of Aodh’. The original meaning of the first name Aodh remains uncertain, but the most probable translation is ‘fire’. This would thus have been a nickname, referring probably to the temperament (or possibly the complexion or hair-colour) of the holder. Another possible translation of Aodh is ‘inspiration’. This original first name is another possible origin for some instances of the popular first names of Hugh and Hugo.
The McKays originally came from the far north of Scotland, and from Inverness-shire. The origin of the main northern McKays is obscure, but they may well have come from the legendary Clann Morgan. The Inverness-shire McKays usually write their name in Gaelic as MacAi. This further complicates the origin of the name, for MacAi in Scots Gaelic is a form of MacDhai, which translated as ‘Davidson’ (the Scots Gaelic Dhai being similar to the popular Welsh first name ‘Dai’).
As is usual with names that have been translated from the Gaelic through the ages, there have been countless variations on this name in the records. These range from Mackhe (1538) to Macky (1513) and M’Akie (1559). This variation gave rise to the ancient Stirlingshire name of Mackie, and thus Mackieson. This popular form means ‘son of the son of —’. The more common Macpherson is not the same-this comes from the Gaelic Mac an Phearsain, meaning ‘son of the parson’.
The earliest mention of any version of McKay comes in the 1098 Manx records. Here one Cucail Mac Aedha is mentioned. However, it is not until 1326 that we find the more recognisable name Gilchrist M’Ay, who is listed by George Black, the eminent expert on Scottish names.
The American colloquialism ‘the real McCoy’ (meaning ‘genuine’, ‘best of its kind’) originated through a mix-up over a brand of whisky called McKays exported to the US in the 1880s. The company slogan was confused with the name of an American boxer named McCoy.
Scotsman James Mackay explored the Missouri River and pushed on to the Pacific coast, drawing up the map later used by the famous Lewis and Clark expedition.
The enormous multi-national company International Telephone and Telegraph (IT&T) was founded by Clarence Hungerford MacKay (1874—1938) who supervised the completion of the first trans-Pacific cable between the United States and the Far East (1907).
The largest clipper ship ever built, the Great Republic, 4,555 tons, was produced by master Boston shipbuilder Donald McKay (1810—80). Not only did he make them big; he made them fast. His boatyard’s ship Lightning had a top speed of 21 knots and established a long-standing record of 436 nautical miles in 24 hours.
The only two towns named McKay are in Australia and the United States. Australia has a MacKay Lake, Canada has 2 (one spelled MacKay) as well as a McKay river. Australia has a MacKay mountain and a McKay mountain range.
With about 25,000 namesakes MacKay and McKay form Scotland’s 18th most popular surname. Thus about one out of every 208 Scots is named MacKay or McKay. (The name is not common enough throughout England and Wales to be counted separately.) MacKay and McKay are notably popular in and around both Edinburgh and Glasgow; in each an estimated one in about 240 families bears the name. Around the world this surname is most common in Wellington (one in 562 families), Canberra (one in 622), Vancouver (one in 694) and Auckland (one in 732). The United States has 11,000 MacKays and 41,000 McKays-in combination making this their 527th most popular surname.
Mackaye Demographics
Mackaye Political Affiliation
in United States
United States
Average
Mackaye Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Mackaye Come From? nationality or country of origin
The surname Mackaye is carried by more people in Chad than any other country or territory. It may also appear as a variant: MacKayé. Click here to see other possible spellings of Mackaye.
How Common Is The Last Name Mackaye? popularity and diffusion
This last name is the 528,890th most common last name in the world. It is borne by approximately 1 in 11,907,755 people. This surname occurs predominantly in Africa, where 94 percent of Mackaye live; 94 percent live in West Africa and 94 percent live in Chadic Africa. Mackaye is also the 3,159,357th most commonly used first name globally. It is borne by 13 people.
The last name Mackaye is most frequently held in Chad, where it is borne by 578 people, or 1 in 23,516. Aside from Chad Mackaye exists in 5 countries. It also occurs in The United States, where 5 percent reside and Belarus, where 0 percent reside.
Mackaye Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The frequency of Mackaye has changed over time. In The United States the number of people carrying the Mackaye surname rose 300 percent between 1880 and 2014.
Mackaye Last Name Statistics demography
In The United States those bearing the Mackaye surname are 46.77% more likely to be registered Democrats than The US average, with 100% being registered with the party.
Mackaye earn a lot more than the average income. In United States they earn 43.21% more than the national average, earning $61,794 USD per year.
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Mackaye
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis