Show ContentsMacEy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

MacEy Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of MacEy

What does the name MacEy mean?

In ancient Scotland, the ancestors of the MacEy family were part of a tribe called the Picts. The name MacEy is derived from the personal name Aodh, a cognate of Hugh. The Gaelic form of the name is usually Mac Aoidh and in Inverness, the Gaelic form of the name MacEy is Mac Ai.

"Nothing certain is known of the origin of the northern Mackays beyond the fact that they were early connected with Moray, and may have been a part of the ancient Clann Morgunn. The Inverness-shire Mackays are usually called in Gaelic Mac Ai, that is, MacDhai, or Davidson; they formed a branch of Clan Chattan." 1

MacEy Coat of Arms Creation

When Queen Mary was at Inverness, Mackay of Farr disregarded her summons to appear before her. Because of this a commission was granted to the Earl of Sutherland to invade the lands of Strathnaver. He besieged Castle Borve, which was held by a small force of twenty reso-lute clansmen, but the castle was taken and demolished. (Canon were used for the first time in the North of Scotland in this siege). It is said that when Mackay was asked by the Earl of Sutherland to exhibit his charter for his lands he put his hand, clasping a dirk, upon the table and exclaimed "Lamh laidir," the Latin of which, "mane forti" (with a strong hand), has been the motto of the clan ever since. 2

Early Origins of the MacEy family

The surname MacEy was first found in Sutherland (Gaelic: Cataibh), a former county in northern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Highland, where early records show that Gilcrest M'Ay, forefather of the MacKay family of Ugadale, made a payment to the constable of Tarbert in 1326. It is claimed that the Clan is descended from the royal house of MacEth.

Early History of the MacEy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacEy research. Another 299 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1329, 1408, 1411, 1429, 1506, 1575, 1640, 1689, 1692, 1726, 1873, 1890 and 1940 are included under the topic Early MacEy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacEy Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. MacEy has been spelled MacKay, MacCay, MacQuey, MacQuoid, MacKaw, MacKy, MacKye, MacCoy, McCoy and many more.

Early Notables of the MacEy family

Hugh Mackay (c. 1640-1692), Scottish general, Major-General Commanding in Chief in Scotland in 1689, killed at the Battle of Steinkeerke; and the infamous John Macky (died 1726), a Scottish...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacEy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacEy Ranking

the United States, the name MacEy is the 14,252nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the MacEy family to Ireland

Some of the MacEy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 133 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacEy migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of MacEy:

MacEy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Macey, who landed in Virginia in 1638 5
MacEy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • T R Macey, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
  • Jacob Macey, who landed in New York in 1897 5

MacEy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. Charles Macey, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Admiral Barrington" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 4
Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

MacEy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Samuel Macey, (Maisey), (b. 1798), aged 20, English labourer who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1880 6
  • Mr. Edward Macey, (b. 1800), aged 19, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1834 7
  • James Macey, English convict from Wiltshire, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia 8

Contemporary Notables of the name MacEy (post 1700) +

  • Jonathan R. Macey, American Sam Harris Professor of Corporate Law, Corporate Finance and Securities Law at Yale Law School
  • Reese L. Macey, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1936 9
  • John R. Macey, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Latrobe, Pennsylvania, 1968-81 (acting, 1968) 10
  • Jesse Macey, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1908 10
  • Harold Macey, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for New Hampshire, 1948 10
  • Lance Macey, New Zealand gold medalist lawn bowls competitor at the 1938 British Empire Games
  • Hubert "Hub" Macey (1921-2008), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey forward
  • Adrian Macey (b. 1948), English-born, New Zealand diplomat
  • Reg Macey (b. 1936), former Australian politician from Melbourne
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

MacEy Motto and War Cry +

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: Manu forti
Motto Translation: With a strong hand.
War Cry: "Bratach Bhan," or White Banner.
War Cry Description: The badge of the clan is reed grass (in Gaelic cuilc)
  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  8. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia in 1849 with 303 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1849
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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