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    The surname McKay

    A patronymic surname, carried by 38,681 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /məˈkeɪ/ 2 syllables Soundex M200

    McKay: #895 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#10,001Dubon McKay #895, 38,681 people McKay: #895 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez McKay #895, 38,681 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McKay is more common than 99.4% of them.

    Origin

    From Irish Mac Aodha and Scottish Gaelic MacAoidh (literally “son of Aodh”). Related to McCoy and McGee.

    McKay is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 38,681 people named McKay in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,982 Americans. That is up 4.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 36,948.

    #895
    rank among US surnames
    38,681
    people in 2010
    13
    per 100,000 Americans
    +4.7%
    change since 2000 (was #853)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #886Sampson39,2777,861
    #887Moses39,2167,873
    #888Magana39,1057,895
    #889Blackburn39,0977,897
    #890Dunlap39,0637,904
    #891Gould38,9247,932
    #892Duffy38,8357,950

    Who is named McKay

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    80% of people named McKay identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

    • White (not Hispanic) 80%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 14%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
    • Two or more races 2.1%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 1.2%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous McKays

    17 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Adam McKay
      American filmmaker (born 1968)
    • Matt McKay
      Australian association football player, born 1983
    • Nellie McKay
      American musician, born 1982
    • Antonio McKay
      American track and field athlete, born 1964
    • Mike McKay
      Australian rower, born 1964
    • Chris McKay
      American film and television director, born 1973
    • Christian McKay
      British actor, born 1973
    • Gardner McKay
      American actor and artist (1932-2001)
    • Donald McKay
      American shipbuilder (1810–1880)
    • Clint McKay
      Australian cricketer, born 1983
    • Heather McKay
      Australian squash player, born 1941
    • Douglas McKay
      American politician (1893-1959)

    Notable McKays come mostly from the United States (10), Australia (5) and the United Kingdom (1).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Surnames that sound like McKay

    McKay has the Soundex code M200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M200.

    Questions

    Where does the surname McKay come from?
    From Irish Mac Aodha and Scottish Gaelic MacAoidh (literally “son of Aodh”). Related to McCoy and McGee.
    How common is the surname McKay?
    38,681 people in the United States had the surname McKay in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,982 Americans. It ranked 895th of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname McKay?
    In the 2010 Census, 80% of people named McKay identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named McKay?
    Adam McKay, American filmmaker (born 1968), followed by Matt McKay.
    Where is the surname McKay most common?
    Wikidata records people named McKay in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
    How do you pronounce McKay?
    McKay is /məˈkeɪ/, 2 syllables.
    What type of surname is McKay?
    McKay is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname McKay getting more or less common?
    More common. 36,948 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 38,681 in 2010, up 4.7%.