Show ContentsMacKie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the MacKie family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from the personal name Aodh, which is often Anglicized as Hugh. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Aoidh, which means son of Aodh.

Early Origins of the MacKie family

The surname MacKie was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland.

Early History of the MacKie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacKie research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1304 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacKie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacKie Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name MacKie include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include Mackie, Mackey, MacHugh and others.

Early Notables of the MacKie family

More information is included under the topic Early MacKie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacKie World Ranking

In the United States, the name MacKie is the 4,285th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name MacKie is ranked the 794th most popular surname with an estimated 4,931 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name MacKie is the 438th popular surname with an estimated 1,542 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks MacKie as 689th with 9,651 people. 4

Ireland Migration of the MacKie family to Ireland

Some of the MacKie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States MacKie migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name MacKie or a variant listed above:

MacKie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Hill Mackie, who settled in Boston in 1652
  • Hill Mackie, who arrived in America in 1652 5
MacKie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Danl Mackie, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 5
  • Josias Mackie, who landed in Virginia in 1716 5
  • Thomas Mackie, who landed in Virginia in 1767 5
MacKie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • M Mackie, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 5
  • George Mackie, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1812 5
  • Manl Mackie, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1835 5
  • Joseph MacKie, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
  • John Mackie, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia MacKie migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

MacKie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Mackie, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • G. Mackie, a sawyer, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • William Mackie, Scottish convict from Stirling, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
  • Mr. William Mackie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. John Mackie, (b. 1815), aged 15, Scottish convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand MacKie migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

MacKie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Peter Mackie, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th June 1861 10
  • Miss Rebecca Mackie, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th June 1861 10
  • Mr. David Mackie, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th June 1861 10
  • Miss Agnes Mackie, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th June 1861 10
  • John Mackie, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1871
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name MacKie (post 1700) +

  • John Freeman Mackie (1835-1910), United States Marine and the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor
  • John C. Mackie (1920-2008), Canadian-born, American politician
  • Anthony Mackie (b. 1979), American actor
  • Robert Gordon Mackie (b. 1940), American fashion designer
  • Joseph Mackie, American politician, Representative from Pennsylvania 2nd District, 1934 11
  • John G. Mackie, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Colorado, 1956; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Colorado 2nd District, 1958 11
  • John Currie Mackie (1920-2008), American Democratic Party politician, Genesee County Surveyor, 1953-56; U.S. Representative from Michigan 7th District, 1965-67; Defeated, 1966 11
  • John Mackie, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1964 11
  • Jerry Mackie (b. 1962), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alaska State House of Representatives; Elected 1990, 1992, 1994; Member of Alaska State Senate District C, 1997-2000 11
  • Helen Warnock Mackie, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Connecticut, 1952, 1956 11
  • ... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Edward D Mackie, British Leading Writer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 12
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. William Ferries Mackie, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 13
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. George William Mackie (d. 1912), aged 34, English Bedroom Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 14
  • Mr. William Dickinson MacKie (d. 1912), aged 32, English Junior Fifth Engineer from London, England who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 14


The MacKie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Labore
Motto Translation: By labour.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  13. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  14. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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