Parent’s name
McKee surname meaning
An Irish and Scottish Gaelic patronymic, Mac Aodha or Mac Aoidh, “son of Aodh,” an old personal name meaning “fire.”
The short story
McKee is a northern Irish and Scottish Anglicization of Gaelic Mac Aodha or Mac Aoidh, literally “son of Aodh.” Aodh is an old personal name meaning “fire,” once linked to a pagan deity and later kept as a given name; it is not the same name as Hugh. The same Gaelic formula yields McKay, McGee, McCoy, and McHugh in other dialects and districts. MacKee is a common alternate spelling. Parent’s name fits the Mac- structure, and the Aodh reading is high confidence.
Also seen as: McKee, MacKee, McKay, McGee, McCoy, McHugh
Sources used
- Geneanet / DAFN entry for McKee (Mac Aodha/Mac Aoidh ‘son of Aodh’)
- Wikipedia ‘McKee’ (Gaelic Mac Aodha, “son of Aodh,” fire)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)