McAfee
An Irish surname usually taken from a Gaelic personal name, often linked to the Mac Fhithich line or a related clan form.
The #2,898 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,957 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McAfee is a Gaelic surname with more than one historical spelling, including MacAfee, MacAffie, and related forms. It is generally understood as an anglicized form of a Gaelic patronymic beginning with Mac- meaning "son of," though older sources do not agree on a single secure root for every branch of the name. The family may be connected with Gaelic names that were later reshaped in English spelling, especially in Ulster and the western Scottish tradition.
History
The surname appears in Irish and Scottish records under several spellings, showing the usual Anglicization of Gaelic names over time. Nineteenth-century surname writers placed McAfee among Ulster names and also alongside Scottish Mac- forms, suggesting a shared Gaelic background rather than a purely English origin. In the United States it is found most often in families of Irish or Scots-Irish descent.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older reference works often grouped McAfee with a cluster of similar Gaelic surnames, reflecting how variable the spelling became before standardization.
From the historical record
“rriAC "Ouibfice, MacAffie, Mac Affee, MacAfee, MacHaffie, MacHaffy, MacFie, MacFee, Mahaffy, Mehaffy. rriAC "Ouinn, MacDunn.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames