Mackey
Usually an Anglicized form of a Gaelic Mac- name, generally meaning “son of” a personal name or nickname.
The #1,143 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,041 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually treated as an Anglicized spelling of a Gaelic Mac- name. Historical dictionaries connect it with forms such as MacKay or Mackie, ultimately built from Gaelic mac, meaning “son,” plus a personal name element that varied by family and region. Because several Gaelic surnames were written alike in English, Mackey can reflect more than one original Gaelic form.
History
The name appears in Irish and Scottish records and later in English-speaking countries, where spelling was often adjusted to local pronunciation. 19th-century surname writers sometimes linked it with the Mackay/Mackie cluster rather than treating it as a fully independent English name. It is now found widely in the United States, reflecting migration from Ireland, Scotland, and Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older reference works often group Mackey with several similar-looking surnames because English clerks frequently standardized different Gaelic names into the same spelling.
From the historical record
“England, the Mac having been applbixie. MACKEY. See Mackaj. MACKIE. See IMackay. MAC KILLIGIN. Gael. Mac-Gille- Gaun. " The son of the Scrubby Fellow !" This on the authority of an excellent Gaelic scholar. MAC KLSTXON. They are closely con- nected with the IMacdonalds of the Isles, and have no history indej^endent…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom