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

McCay, 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 McCay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCay in America

McCay is the 11982nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCay surname appeared 2,607 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McCay.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCay 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 McCay

The surname McCay has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 13th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic Mac Aidh, which means "son of Aedh" or "son of fire." Aedh was a popular personal name among the ancient Scots and Irish.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list several individuals bearing variations of the name, including Macay and Mackey. These variations likely arose from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

The McCay surname is particularly associated with the Hebrides Islands off the west coast of Scotland, where it was common among clans such as the MacKays of Strathnaver. One notable figure from this clan was Iye Du MacKay, also known as the "Black Iye," who led a rebellion against the Earl of Sutherland in the late 16th century.

Another historical figure with the McCay surname was Robert McCay, a Scottish soldier who fought in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. McCay served under General John Burgoyne and was captured by American forces at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.

In Ireland, the McCay surname is found predominantly in Ulster, where it is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Aodha. One notable Irish bearer of the name was John McCay, a United Irishman who was executed for his role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

As the Scottish and Irish diaspora spread throughout the world, the McCay surname traveled with them. In the United States, one notable bearer of the name was Winsor McCay, a pioneering cartoonist and animator born in 1867. McCay is credited with creating the iconic comic strip "Little Nemo in Slumberland" and is considered a founding father of the art of animation.

Other notable individuals with the McCay surname include John McCay, a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the late 19th century, and Robert McCay, a British poet and literary critic who was born in 1914 and is known for his works on the Romantic poets.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCay

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

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 McCay 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 McCay 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 McCay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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