# Mackay (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mackay/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname, alternative form of MacKay.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 9,886 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,600 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 31,231 people |
| Change since 2000 | +6.9% (9,248 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

See McKay.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Mackay in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Mackay in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Kingdom of the Netherlands and South Africa.

## People named Mackay

- George MacKay, British and Australian actor (born 1992)
- Buddy MacKay, American politician (1933–2024)
- James Mackay, Australian actor
- Jimmy Mackay, Australian soccer player (1943-1998)
- Steve Mackay, American musician, saxophonist (1949-2015)
- Elsie Mackay, British actress and aviator (1893-1928)
- Emily Mackay, American middle- and long-distance runner
- Jeff MacKay, American actor (1948–2008)
- Ernest J. H. Mackay, British archaeologist (1880-1943)
- Donald Mackay, 11th Lord Reay, British colonial governor (1839–1921)
- Donna Jean Godchaux, American singer
- Dawn Faith, Author, musician and television host from South Africa

## Similar surnames

Mack, McKay, Mackey, McKoy, Mackie, Mak, Mauck, Macke, Mac, Macko, McKey, Mace.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.