Find out how popular the last name Mackey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mackey.

Mackey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mackey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mackey in America

Mackey is the 1143rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mackey surname appeared 30,749 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Mackey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mackey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mackey

The surname MACKEY is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic mac Cedaigh, meaning "son of Cedach." Cedach was an Irish personal name derived from the word "cead," meaning "hundred." The name is thought to have originated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in the early medieval period.

The name MACKEY is first recorded in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1164. It appears as "MacCedaigh," referring to a member of a prominent Irish family from the area around Glenariffe, County Antrim.

In the 13th century, the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Cumbria, England, where it is spelled "Makcedy." This suggests that branches of the family had migrated to England during the Norman period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name MACKEY was Eoghan MacCedaigh, a 14th-century Irish chieftain and poet from County Antrim. He was renowned for his compositions in the traditional Irish bardic style.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name MACKEY became more widespread in Ireland, particularly in Counties Antrim, Down, and Armagh. In the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a record of official documents from the Tudor period, the name appears as "MacKee," "MacKy," and "MacKey."

A notable figure from this period was Sir James MACKEY (c. 1570-1640), an Irish soldier and landowner who served in the Nine Years' War and the Spanish Army of Flanders. He was granted lands in County Antrim for his military service.

In the 18th century, the name MACKEY was also found in Scotland, where it was anglicized from the Gaelic "MacCaidh." One prominent Scottish bearer was James MACKEY (1718-1770), a merchant and landowner from Edinburgh.

As the MACKEY surname spread throughout the English-speaking world, it took on various spellings, including MacKey, McKee, McKay, and Mackie. Notable individuals with these variations include William McKee (1783-1851), an Irish-born American politician and judge, and Ian McKay (1953-2022), a Canadian historian and author.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mackey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mackey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mackey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mackey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mackey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mackey, please contact us.

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