Given name & surname · also Irish
McKay
“a fiery woman”·“the son of fire”
McKay is a variant of McKayla. One interpretation is “a fiery woman.” McKay is a variant of Mackay. One interpretation is “the son of fire.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
McKay is a variant of McKayla. One interpretation is “a fiery woman.” McKay is a variant of Mackay. One interpretation is “the son of fire.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
McKay comes from Irish, and ultimately from Scottish Gaelic.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Irish Mac Aodha, from Scottish Gaelic MacAoidh (“son of Aodh”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McKay through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,665
- 2,296 boys · 369 girls
- Most popular year
- 1995
- 111 babies
- 2025
- 40
- #3,629 for boys · #10,619 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −2%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 85% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 31 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,629 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 96 in 1995. It also appeared in 9 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Utah had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (17). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,455 as a first name in 2020; 36,937 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
McKay’s family of names
McKay has a related form in McKayla. McKay has a related form in Mackay. In English usage, McKay as a surname was borrowed from the Scottish Gaelic form MacAoidh.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love McKay, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Macaulay
“the son of righteousness”
>99% boys
Chay
“from the fairy place”
87% boys · 13% girls
Macauley
“the son of righteousness”
>99% boys
Daray
“a dark-skinned man”
>99% boys
Maccoy
“the son of Hugh”
>99% boys
Taran
“of the thunder”
>99% boys
Duncan
“a dark warrior”
>99% boys
Kaelan
“a mighty warrior”
85% boys · 15% girls