Mackay (English)
Where does "Mackay" come from?
The surname Mackay is an Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic 'Mac Aoidh,' meaning 'son of Aodh.' The name Aodh itself is an ancient Gaelic personal name that translates to 'fire.' Over time, this patronymic evolved into the modern English spelling to reflect its pronunciation in a new linguistic context.
Full etymology tree
- Mackay (English), 'A surname, alternative form of MacKay.'
- derived McKay (English), 'A surname.'
- inherited MacAoidh (Old Irish)
- compound mac (Old Irish), 'alternative spelling of macc (“son, child”)'
- compound Aodh (Old Irish)
- inherited MacAoidh (Old Irish)
- derived McKay (English), 'A surname.'
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris