Contents [hide]

Mackey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

MacKey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The MacKey surname is derived from the Gaelic MacAoidh; "Aoidh" is Gaelic for fire, as well as the name of a pagan god.

Early Origins of the MacKey family

The surname MacKey was first found in Sutherland (Gaelic: Cataibh), a former county in northern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Highland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the MacKey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacKey research. Another 276 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1329, 1408, 1411, 1429, 1506 and 1575 are included under the topic Early MacKey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacKey Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacKay, MacCay, MacQuey, MacQuoid, MacKaw, MacKy, MacKye, MacCoy, McCoy and many more.

Early Notables of the MacKey family

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

MacKey Ranking

In the United States, the name MacKey is the 1,059^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name MacKey is ranked the 395^th most popular surname with an estimated 118 people with that name. 2

Migration of the MacKey family to Ireland

Some of the MacKey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacKey migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

MacKey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Mackey, who settled in Boston in 1651
Sander Mackey, who settled in Boston in 1651
Hill Mackey, who landed in New England in 1651-1652 3
Neile Mackey, who landed in New England in 1651-1652 3
Hugh Mackey, who arrived in America in 1652 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

MacKey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Fran Mackey, who arrived in Virginia in 1718 3
Nancy Mackey, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1775 3
Thomas Mackey, who landed in New York in 1784 3

MacKey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Mackey, who landed in America in 1806 3
Thomas MacKey, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
James MacKey, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 3
Ellen MacKey, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
Daniel MacKey, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

MacKey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

MacKey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Edward Mackey, who settled in Chapels Cove, Newfoundland in 1785 4

MacKey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Nancy MacKey, aged 24, a spinster, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
Michael Mackey, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1836
Bridget Weston Mackey, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1843

MacKey migration to Australia +

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

MacKey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Mackey, English convict from Kent, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Daniel Mackey, (Mackay, Mckay, Mckey), (b. 1772), aged 64, Irish convict who was convicted in County Offaly (Kings County), Ireland for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 5th July 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1854 6
Mr. David Mackey, (b. 1823), aged 18, Irish farm labourer from County Derry, Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 7
Mr. Daniel Mackey, British Convict who was convicted in Liverpool, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. George Mackey, British Convict who was convicted in Liverpool, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

MacKey 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:

MacKey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Daniel Mackey, (b. 1800), aged 47, Irish settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 9
Mrs. Elizabeth Mackey, (b. 1811), aged 36, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 9
Mr. Joseph Mackey, (b. 1845), aged 2, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 9
Margaret Mackey, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Osborne" in 1867
Ann Mackey, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wairoa" in 1877
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name MacKey (post 1700) +

Lance Mackey (1970-2022), American dog musher and dog sled racer from Fairbanks, Alaska, four-time winner of both the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Yukon Quest and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
Amanda Mackey (1951-2022), American Primetime Emmy Award nominated casting director on many films from the 1980s to the 2020s, including The Fugitive, Olympus Has Fallen, The Proposal, Rocky IV, The Hunt for Red October, Ronin, Holes, and Those Who Wish Me Dead
Maurice Cecil Mackey Jr. (1929-2018), American academic administrator, President of Michigan State University (1979–1985)
James Mackey (b. 1986), American poker player who has amassed over 1,700,000 in winings
Nathaniel Mackey, American poet, novelist, anthologist, literary critic and editor, winner of the National Book Award for Poetry in 2006 and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize in 2014
Levi Augustus Mackey (1819-1889), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1875-1879)
Malcolm Malik Mackey (b. 1970), retired American professional basketball player
Kyle Erickson Mackey (b. 1962), former American football quarterback who played from 1984 to 1994
John Mackey (b. 1953), American businessman, current co-CEO of Whole Foods Market
John Mackey (1941-2011), American football tight end, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992
... (Another 54 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The MacKey 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: Manu forti
Motto Translation: With a strong hand.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=216
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asiatic
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html