Mackey
Son of the fire, from the Irish Mac Aodha meaning "son of fire".
Name Census estimates that about 410 living Americans carry the first name Mackey. It is a predominantly male name (99.0% of registrations). The average person named Mackey today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mackey births was 1950 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mackey. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
410
~ 1 in 835,986 Americans
Peak year
1950
24 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,687
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Mackey
Out of the 613 babies given the name Mackey since 1880, 99.0% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Mackey as a male name
- Ranked #8,687 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1950 (24 births)
Mackey as a female name
- Ranked #14,560 in 2021
- 6 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2021 (6 births)
Popularity
Mackey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mackey from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 135 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mackey by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mackey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mackeys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mackey
The given name Mackey finds its origins in the Gaelic language, with roots tracing back to ancient Celtic cultures. The name is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, particularly in Scotland and Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded spellings of the name is "Maccay," which can be found in Scottish records from the 13th century. This spelling likely derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aoidh," meaning "son of Aodh" or "son of Hugh." The name Aodh itself is a Gaelic variant of the Germanic name Hugh, which means "bright" or "intelligent."
Mackey is also closely related to the Scottish surname "MacKay," which has a similar origin and meaning. The name is believed to have been prominent among Scottish clans, particularly in the Highlands and Islands regions.
In historical references, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mackey was John Mackey, a Scottish scholar and poet who lived in the 16th century (c. 1520-1589). He is known for his works in Latin and his contributions to the intellectual circles of his time.
Another notable figure was Sir James Mackey (1679-1761), a Scottish soldier and military engineer who served in the British Army during the 18th century. He played a significant role in the construction of fortifications and defensive works across the British Empire.
In the literary realm, Charles Mackey (1815-1889) was an American writer and poet who gained recognition for his works on freemasonry and symbolism. His book "The Lexicon of Freemasonry" became a seminal work in the field.
The name also gained prominence in the United States, with Albert Gallatin Mackey (1807-1881), an American physician and writer who made significant contributions to the study of Freemasonry and its rituals.
Another notable figure was John Mackey (1941-2020), an American businessman and co-founder of Whole Foods Market. He played a pivotal role in the growth and success of the organic and natural foods industry.
These are just a few examples of individuals who carried the given name Mackey throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields, from literature and academia to military service and entrepreneurship.
People
Mackey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mackey as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mackey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mackey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 410 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mackey going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 835,986 US residents.
Is Mackey a common name?
We classify Mackey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 613 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mackey most popular?
The single biggest year for Mackey was 1950, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mackey is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mackey a male name?
Yes, 99.0% of people registered as Mackey in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.