2000
#3,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.43
Uncommon Last name
Mackay
Son of Aodh, a Gaelic name meaning "fire," or a variant of MacKay, meaning "son of Aodh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,960 Americans carry the last name Mackay. That puts it at #3,624 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mackay surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mackay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,273
Census rank
#3,624
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,558 bearers of the surname Mackay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3624th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackay, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mackay
The surname MACKAY has its origins in the Scottish Highlands and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic name "Mac Aidh," meaning "son of Aodh" or "son of Hugh." The name Aodh itself is an old Gaelic name meaning "fire" or "flame."
The earliest known record of the name MACKAY dates back to the early 13th century, with a reference to a "Yharus Maccay" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1263. The name was particularly prominent in the counties of Sutherland and Caithness in the far north of Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the MACKAY name was Iye Monro of Foulis, who was born around 1335 and is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1366. Iye Monro was a notable figure in the clan system of the Scottish Highlands and is considered an ancestor of the MACKAY clan.
In the 15th century, the MACKAY clan played a significant role in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, where they fought alongside the Earl of Mar against the forces of the Lord of the Isles. The MACKAY chief at the time, Angus Du Mackay, is recorded as having led his clansmen into battle.
The MACKAY surname also has connections to various place names in Scotland, such as Strathnaver and Tongue in Sutherland, as well as the Mackay Islands off the coast of Tongue. The name "Mackay's Country" was once used to refer to the traditional territories of the MACKAY clan in the northern Highlands.
Notable individuals with the surname MACKAY throughout history include:
1. Hugh Mackay (1640-1692), a Scottish military leader who served as a general in the Dutch army and later as a commander-in-chief of the Scottish army during the Glorious Revolution.
2. Ebenezer Mackay (1675-1746), a Scottish writer and journalist who founded the periodical "The Scots Magazine" in 1739.
3. Charles Mackay (1814-1889), a Scottish poet, journalist, and author best known for his works such as "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds" and poems like "Cheer, Boys, Cheer."
4. Angus Mackay (1810-1859), a Scottish-born American explorer and fur trader who played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the Pacific Northwest.
5. John William Strutt Mackay (1831-1902), a Scottish-born American mining engineer and entrepreneur who made a fortune in the Comstock Lode silver mines in Nevada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mackay
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackay, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mackay bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mackay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 8,551
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 421
- Two or more races3.3% · 317
- Black or African American1.5% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mackay
Mackay appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,886
+638 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 3.35
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#3,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,558
-328 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 3.20
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,528 | 9,248 | 3.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,600 | 9,886 | 3.35 | +638 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #3,624 | 9,558 | 3.20 | -328 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 24 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mackay surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,600 | #3,624 | -0.7% |
| Count | 9,886 | 9,558 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.35 | 3.20 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mackay bearers went from 9,886 to 9,558 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,600 to #3,624.
FAQ
Mackay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mackay?
Name Census estimates that about 10,960 living Americans carry the surname Mackay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,273 residents.
How common is Mackay?
Mackay ranks #3,624 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,558 people with the surname Mackay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mackay.
Has Mackay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mackay went from 9,886 recorded bearers to 9,558. That is a decrease of 328 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,600 to #3,624.
What does the Census say about the background of Mackay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackay, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mackay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (8,551 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mackay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mackay (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mackay mean?
Son of Aodh, a Gaelic name meaning "fire," or a variant of MacKay, meaning "son of Aodh." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mackay (3.20 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Mackay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.