UK name, mostly girls
Macey
A French feminine name of uncertain meaning, perhaps connected to the Latin masculine name Matthaeus.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Macey is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Macey popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1065, with 32 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2009, with 367 births.
This profile covers 4,332 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 9% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 4,645 living people in the UK are called Macey. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Macey ranked #1065 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 32 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2009, when 367 girls were registered as Macey.
- • Macey ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #434 in 2018.
- • About 4,645 living people in the UK are estimated to have Macey as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.6% of Macey registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1065
2024
Births in 2024
32
Latest year
Peak year
2009
367 births
Estimated living
4,645
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Macey
In England and Wales birth records, Macey has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 0.4% of registrations are for boys and 99.6% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Macey registered for boys
- Ranked #3,865 in 2010
- 4 boys registered in 2010
- Peak: 1999 (4 births)
Macey registered for girls
- Ranked #1,065 in 2024
- 32 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (367 births)
Meaning
What does Macey mean?
The name Macey is believed to have originated from the ancient Celtic language, which was spoken in parts of Europe and the British Isles during the Iron Age and medieval periods. It is thought to be a variant of the name Macy, which is derived from the Old French name "Mahault" or "Mahaul," meaning "strength" or "power."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Macey can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their properties in England, compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Maci" and "Macy," suggesting its long-standing presence in the region.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Macey was predominantly found in England and Scotland, where it was associated with individuals from various social strata, from peasants to nobility. One notable bearer of the name was Macey Reynald, a wealthy landowner who lived in Northumberland, England, during the late 13th century.
As the name spread across Europe, it was adopted by various cultures and underwent slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. In France, for instance, the name was sometimes rendered as "Macée" or "Macé," while in Germany, it took the form of "Matzke" or "Matzchen."
During the Renaissance period, several individuals bearing the name Macey achieved recognition in various fields. One such figure was Macey Renouard, a French scholar and philosopher who lived in the 16th century and wrote extensively on topics ranging from theology to natural philosophy.
In the 17th century, Macey Cradock, an English clergyman and author, gained fame for his influential works on religious and moral subjects. Similarly, Macey Bourdillon, a French painter active in the late 18th century, became renowned for his portraits and landscape paintings.
As the centuries passed, the name Macey continued to be used across different parts of the world, with notable bearers emerging in various fields, such as politics, literature, and the arts. One such individual was Macey Taylor, an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Representative from Virginia in the late 19th century.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Macey over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Macey in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Macey, the clearest high point is 2009. The latest England and Wales figure is 32 births in 2024, compared with 367 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Macey by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Macey was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #815 | 232 | 5 |
| 2010s | #335 | 1,828 | 10 |
| 2000s | #230 | 2,243 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2866 | 29 | 4 |
Geography
Where Macey is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Macey. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Macey ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #434 in 2018.
Across the UK
Macey in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#630 in 2023
19 years of NRS records, 276 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#434 in 2018
11 years of NISRA records, 61 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Macey
-
Macey Chipping
actor
British actress
2003-
Related
Names similar to Macey
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Macey: questions and answers
How popular is the name Macey in the UK right now?
In 2024, Macey was ranked #1065 for girls in England and Wales, with 32 births registered.
When was Macey most popular?
The peak year on record was 2009, with 367 babies registered as Macey in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Macey?
A French feminine name of uncertain meaning, perhaps connected to the Latin masculine name Matthaeus.
How many people are called Macey in the UK?
A total of 4,332 babies have been registered as Macey across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 276 more in Scotland and 61 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Macey most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Macey ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #434 in 2018. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.