2000
#717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,555
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.15
Uncommon Last name
Mckee
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacAoidh," meaning "son of Aodh" (a personal name meaning "fire").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 48,196 Americans carry the last name Mckee. That puts it at #802 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckee 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 Mckee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
48K
1 in 7,112
Census rank
#802
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
42K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 42,029 bearers of the surname Mckee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 802nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckee, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckee
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckee, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckee 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 Mckee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 35,593
- Black or African American6.4% · 2,676
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,660
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,446
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 327
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 327
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckee
Mckee 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
#780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,137
+582 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 14.96
Rank movement Down 63 places
2020
#802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,029
-2,108 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 14.06
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #717 | 43,555 | 16.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #780 | 44,137 | 14.96 | +582 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 63 places |
| 2020 | #802 | 42,029 | 14.06 | -2,108 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 22 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 Mckee 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 | #780 | #802 | -2.8% |
| Count | 44,137 | 42,029 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 14.96 | 14.06 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckee bearers went from 44,137 to 42,029 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #780 to #802.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mckee
FAQ
Mckee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckee?
Name Census estimates that about 48,196 living Americans carry the surname Mckee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,112 residents.
How common is Mckee?
Mckee ranks #802 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 42,029 people with the surname Mckee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (48,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Mckee.
Has Mckee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckee went from 44,137 recorded bearers to 42,029. That is a decrease of 2,108 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #780 to #802.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckee, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mckee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (35,593 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (6.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mckee (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 Mckee mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacAoidh," meaning "son of Aodh" (a personal name meaning "fire"). 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 Mckee (14.06 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 common is the surname Mckee?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Mckee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.