McKay surname meaning

McKay is a Scottish and northern Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aoidh, “son of Aodh.” Aodh is an old Gaelic personal name meaning “fire,” once linked with a pagan deity and later a given name. The same Gaelic root underlies McKee, McGee, McCoy, and McHugh; spelling differences largely reflect how English clerks heard Mac Aoidh in Scotland and Ulster. Mackay and MacKay are common historical spellings. Parent’s name is high confidence for the Mac Aoidh patronymic that DAFN and Geneanet treat as the core explanation across these related Anglicizations.