McKelvey
An Irish and Scottish surname meaning “son of Kelvey,” ultimately from a Gaelic personal name.
The #4,985 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,837 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McKelvey is a Gaelic patronymic surname built on the prefix Mac, meaning “son of,” plus a personal name behind Kelvey. The second element is generally taken to reflect an older Gaelic given name such as Gille Mhaoilbhe or a similar form, though the exact underlying name is not always reconstructed the same way in every source. In plain English, the surname means “son of Kelvey/Kelvie,” preserving an older family-name form that was later fixed as a hereditary surname.
History
The name is found in both Ireland and Scotland, where Gaelic surnames were often anglicized in several different spellings. McKelvey and the related Kelvey/Kelvie forms became established in the British Isles and later spread through emigration, especially to North America. Modern bearers are most commonly associated with Ulster Irish and Scottish roots.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling with “Mc” is a later anglicized shorthand; older records often prefer the fuller “Mac” form.