NameCensus.

UK surname

Mackey

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aodha," meaning "son of Aodh" (a personal name meaning "fire").

In the 1881 census there were 1,155 people recorded with the Mackey surname, ranking it #3,472 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,579, ranked #3,930, down from #3,472 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rhondda Cynon Taf, Stockton-on-Tees and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mackey is 1,655 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.7%.

1881 census count

1,155

Ranked #3,472

Modern count

1,579

2016, ranked #3,930

Peak year

1999

1,655 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mackey had 1,155 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,472 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,579 in 2016, ranked #3,930.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,480 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mackey surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mackey surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mackey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mackey over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 991 #2,816
1861 historical 953 #2,908
1881 historical 1,155 #3,472
1891 historical 1,322 #3,291
1901 historical 1,253 #3,952
1911 historical 1,480 #3,252
1997 modern 1,617 #3,663
1998 modern 1,622 #3,793
1999 modern 1,655 #3,751
2000 modern 1,614 #3,817
2001 modern 1,592 #3,794
2002 modern 1,638 #3,757
2003 modern 1,584 #3,802
2004 modern 1,577 #3,827
2005 modern 1,527 #3,890
2006 modern 1,549 #3,835
2007 modern 1,552 #3,868
2008 modern 1,554 #3,892
2009 modern 1,602 #3,875
2010 modern 1,648 #3,859
2011 modern 1,613 #3,893
2012 modern 1,568 #3,923
2013 modern 1,624 #3,865
2014 modern 1,644 #3,847
2015 modern 1,613 #3,876
2016 modern 1,579 #3,930

Geography

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Where Mackeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch, Gateshead and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rhondda Cynon Taf, Stockton-on-Tees, Newcastle upon Tyne, Carmarthenshire and Telford and Wrekin. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rhondda Cynon Taf 010 Rhondda Cynon Taf
2 Stockton-on-Tees 018 Stockton-on-Tees
3 Newcastle upon Tyne 021 Newcastle upon Tyne
4 Carmarthenshire 010 Carmarthenshire
5 Telford and Wrekin 020 Telford and Wrekin

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mackey

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mackey surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mackey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mackey, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Mackey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Mackey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mackey is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mackey is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mackey falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mackey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mackey, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mackey

The surname MACKEY is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic mac Cedaigh, meaning "son of Cedach." Cedach was an Irish personal name derived from the word "cead," meaning "hundred." The name is thought to have originated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in the early medieval period.

The name MACKEY is first recorded in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1164. It appears as "MacCedaigh," referring to a member of a prominent Irish family from the area around Glenariffe, County Antrim.

In the 13th century, the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Cumbria, England, where it is spelled "Makcedy." This suggests that branches of the family had migrated to England during the Norman period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name MACKEY was Eoghan MacCedaigh, a 14th-century Irish chieftain and poet from County Antrim. He was renowned for his compositions in the traditional Irish bardic style.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name MACKEY became more widespread in Ireland, particularly in Counties Antrim, Down, and Armagh. In the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a record of official documents from the Tudor period, the name appears as "MacKee," "MacKy," and "MacKey."

A notable figure from this period was Sir James MACKEY (c. 1570-1640), an Irish soldier and landowner who served in the Nine Years' War and the Spanish Army of Flanders. He was granted lands in County Antrim for his military service.

In the 18th century, the name MACKEY was also found in Scotland, where it was anglicized from the Gaelic "MacCaidh." One prominent Scottish bearer was James MACKEY (1718-1770), a merchant and landowner from Edinburgh.

As the MACKEY surname spread throughout the English-speaking world, it took on various spellings, including MacKey, McKee, McKay, and Mackie. Notable individuals with these variations include William McKee (1783-1851), an Irish-born American politician and judge, and Ian McKay (1953-2022), a Canadian historian and author.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mackey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mackey surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 207 Mackeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.57x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 207 1.57x
Middlesex 184 1.65x
Durham 177 5.35x
Northumberland 66 3.99x
Kent 65 1.71x
Yorkshire 47 0.43x
Surrey 44 0.81x
Warwickshire 34 1.21x
Hampshire 26 1.14x
Gloucestershire 25 1.15x
Midlothian 19 1.28x
Devon 18 0.78x
Cheshire 17 0.69x
Lanarkshire 17 0.47x
Nottinghamshire 16 1.07x
Bedfordshire 14 2.43x
Staffordshire 13 0.35x
Sussex 12 0.64x
Leicestershire 11 0.89x
Norfolk 11 0.64x
Glamorgan 10 0.52x
Northamptonshire 10 0.96x
Somerset 10 0.56x
Perthshire 9 1.80x
Angus 8 0.78x
Buckinghamshire 8 1.19x
Cumberland 8 0.84x
Monmouthshire 8 1.00x
Aberdeenshire 5 0.49x
Essex 5 0.23x
Cornwall 4 0.32x
Lincolnshire 4 0.23x
Renfrewshire 4 0.46x
Wiltshire 4 0.41x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.43x
Kincardineshire 3 2.22x
Royal Navy 3 2.26x
Berkshire 2 0.24x
Channel Islands 2 0.61x
Shropshire 2 0.21x
Dorset 1 0.14x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.33x
Herefordshire 1 0.22x
Orkney 1 0.82x
Suffolk 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 32 Mackeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.42x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 32 3.42x
Manchester 32 5.39x
Westoe 25 13.33x
Hackney London 24 3.85x
Liverpool 21 2.62x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 20 13.96x
Newchurch 20 18.53x
Islington London 19 1.76x
Erith 18 48.15x
Newton 16 15.73x
Gateshead 15 6.06x
Shoreditch London 15 3.11x
Dawdon 14 34.41x
Nottingham St Mary 14 3.61x
Toxteth Park 14 3.13x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 13 59.77x
Clerkenwell London 12 4.57x
Bradford 11 17.81x
Elswick 11 8.33x
Kensington London 11 1.78x
Mile End Old Town 11 6.27x
West Derby 11 2.85x
Benfieldside 10 45.96x
Maidstone 10 8.85x
South Shields 10 33.93x
Westgate 10 9.76x
Chelsea London 9 2.69x
Hunslet 9 5.24x
Keighley 9 7.66x
Kelloe 9 252.10x
Leicester St Mary 9 9.04x
Portsea 9 2.01x
Stockton On Tees 9 5.64x
Usworth 9 51.22x
Warrington 9 5.75x
Barnsley 8 7.04x
Jesmond 8 34.36x
Liff Benvie 8 5.12x
St Marylebone London 8 1.35x
Thornley 8 66.83x
Wolverton 8 57.51x
Bedford St Paul 7 17.73x
Cadder 7 26.36x
Chester St Mary On Hill 7 33.24x
Great Bolton 7 4.01x
Harborne 7 5.82x
Hulme 7 2.54x
St George Hanover 7 4.82x
Tynemouth 7 7.90x
Wingate 7 30.86x
Bermondsey 6 1.81x
Camberwell 6 0.84x
Everton 6 1.43x
Godalming 6 17.59x
Hart 6 74.44x
Horfield 6 27.33x
Pilkington 6 11.97x
Preston 6 1.70x
Tranmere 6 6.65x
West Calder 6 20.44x
Battersea 5 1.22x
Bedford St Cuthbert 5 97.85x
Brighton 5 1.32x
Bromley London 5 2.04x
Deptford St Paul 5 1.71x
Edinburgh Greenside 5 25.41x
Gillingham 5 6.39x
Great Crosby 5 13.90x
Heacham 5 131.58x
Heigham 5 5.45x
Hove 5 6.08x
Millbrook 5 8.71x
Monkwearmouth Shore 5 7.74x
Newington 5 1.22x
Northampton Priory St 5 7.97x
St George In East 5 6.61x
St Pancras London 5 0.56x
St Woollos 5 5.57x
Weston 5 36.34x
Woolwich 5 3.57x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mackey surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mackey surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 86
William 60
James 46
George 35
Thomas 31
Joseph 23
Robert 17
Charles 15
Edward 15
Arthur 12
Henry 11
Andrew 9
Richard 8
Walter 8
Daniel 7
Alfred 6
Harry 6
Hugh 6
Michael 6
Samuel 6
Francis 5
Peter 5
Thos. 5
Benjamin 4
Frederick 4
Matthew 4
David 3
Ernest 3
Jas. 3
Albert 2
Chas. 2
Edmund 2
Frank 2
Fredk. 2
Fredk.W. 2
Isaac 2
Joshua 2
Milburn 2
Patrick 2
Robt. 2
Stephen 2
Willm. 2
Wm.A. 2
Anthony 1
Clement 1
Colin 1
Felix 1
Fred. 1
Javez 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Mackey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mackey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,155 people were recorded with the Mackey surname. That placed it at #3,472 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mackey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,579 in 2016. That gives Mackey a modern rank of #3,930.

What does the Mackey surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aodha," meaning "son of Aodh" (a personal name meaning "fire").

What does the Mackey map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mackey bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.