Mckay
McKay, MacKay or Mackay is a Scottish and Irish surname. The last phoneme in the name is traditionally pronounced to rhyme with 'eye', but in some parts of the world this has come to rhyme with 'hey'. In Scotland, it corresponds to Clan Mackay. Notable people with the surname include:
Meaning & Origin of Mckay
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
McKay, MacKay or Mackay is a Scottish and Irish surname. The last phoneme in the name is traditionally pronounced to rhyme with 'eye', but in some parts of the world this has come to rhyme with 'hey'. In Scotland, it corresponds to Clan Mackay. Notable people with the surname include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Mckay
As a girl name
Mckay first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1982, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1999, when 21 Mckays were born — ranking #5,038 that year. As of 2026, Mckay ranks #12,120 for girls with 7 births, rising sharply (+54% over the past five years). In total, more than 360 Mckays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Mckay first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1917, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1995, when 96 Mckays were born — ranking #1,182 that year. As of 2026, Mckay ranks #3,762 for boys with 30 births, falling sharply (-18%). In total, more than 2K Mckays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Mckay
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mckay is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mckay
What does the name Mckay mean?
How popular is Mckay in 2026?
When was Mckay most popular?
In which U.S. states is Mckay most popular?
Is Mckay a unisex name?
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About the name Mckay
Mckay is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1917 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Mckay's peak popularity came in 1995 when it ranked #1,182. Use the chart and map above to compare Mckay's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1995 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.