Mckye
A feminine name, possibly derived from the Scottish surname McKie.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Mckye. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mckye today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mckye births was 2005 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mckye. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mckye with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mckye. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2005
7 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2005 SSA rank
#9,790
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Mckye: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mckye 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 Mckye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mckye
The name Mckye is a unique and relatively modern name, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It is believed to be a variant spelling or combination of the names McKay and Kyle, both of which have Scottish roots.
The name McKay likely originated as a patronymic surname derived from the Gaelic name "Mac Aidh," meaning "son of Aidh" or "son of fire." This name can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands and is associated with several ancient Scottish clans. On the other hand, the name Kyle is thought to be derived from a Gaelic word meaning "narrow" or "strait," possibly referring to a geographical location.
While there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts mentioning the name Mckye specifically, its components have been present in Scottish history for centuries. Some notable individuals bearing the name McKay or Kyle throughout history include:
1. Alexander McKay (1841-1892), a Scottish-American explorer and fur trader who explored parts of the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
2. Donald Kyle (1926-2010), an American classical scholar and professor of history at the University of Texas at Arlington.
3. Kathleen Kyle (1957-), a Scottish novelist and children's author known for her works set in the Scottish Highlands.
4. Roger Kyle (1969-), an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA and various international leagues.
5. William McKay (1856-1937), a Scottish-American industrialist and shipbuilder who founded the McKay Ship Building Company in Tampa, Florida.
While the name Mckye itself may be relatively new, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of Scotland, where names like McKay and Kyle have been part of the fabric of society for generations. As a unique combination of these traditional Scottish names, Mckye carries with it a sense of identity and connection to a historical legacy.
People
Mckye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mckye 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
Mckye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mckye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mckye 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Mckye a common name?
We classify Mckye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mckye most popular?
The single biggest year for Mckye was 2005, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mckye is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mckye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mckye a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mckye 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.
Is Mckye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mckye in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mckye can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Mckye?
Find out how many people share the name Mckye on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.