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

McKee, 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 McKee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKee in America

McKee is the 780th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKee surname appeared 44,137 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname McKee.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKee 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 McKee

The surname McKee has its origins in Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages. It is a Scottish and Irish variation of the Gaelic surname Mac Aidh, meaning "son of Aedh" or "son of fire." The name Aedh was a popular given name in Ireland and Scotland, derived from the Old Irish word "aed," meaning "fire."

The McKee surname is believed to have emerged in various regions of Scotland, including Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and the Scottish Highlands. It was also prevalent in Ulster, Northern Ireland, where many Scottish settlers migrated during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McKee surname can be found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a Scottish manuscript dating back to the late 15th century. This document mentions a "Dougall McKee" as a witness to a charter granted by the Earl of Argyll.

In the 16th century, the McKee surname appeared in several historical records, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland. These rolls document transactions and payments made to individuals, including those with the McKee surname.

Notable individuals with the McKee surname throughout history include:

1. James McKee (1768-1832), an Irish-American printer and publisher who established the first successful daily newspaper in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Daily Advertiser.

2. Samuel McKee (1773-1856), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Kentucky in the early 19th century.

3. Jane McKee (1826-1901), an American educator and writer who co-founded the McKee Free School in Salt Lake City, Utah.

4. Robert McKee (1811-1900), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and pioneer in the lumber industry, who founded the town of McKee's Corners, now known as Almonte, Ontario.

5. Thomas McKee (1777-1855), an Indian agent and trader in the Ohio Country during the early 19th century, known for his involvement in negotiations with Native American tribes.

The McKee surname has also been associated with various place names, such as McKee's Corners (now Almonte, Ontario), McKee, Kentucky, and McKee, Pennsylvania. These place names reflect the settlement patterns of individuals with the McKee surname in different regions of North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKee

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

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

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

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