Mckay
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- muh-KAY
- Origin
- Scottish
- US rank, 2025
- #3,582 for boys
Mckay is a name of Scottish origin, meaning “son of Aodh (fire)”. In 2025 it ranked 3,582nd for boys in the US (31 babies).
What does Mckay mean?
Scottish: Scottish surname Mac Aoidh
“son of Aodh (fire)”
Clan Mackay held much of Strathnaver in the far north of Scotland.
Is Mckay a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Mckay has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 9 girls and 31 boys in the US.
How popular is Mckay in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,582among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 31about 1 in 55,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 26% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 31 boys in the US were named Mckay, making it the 3,582nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,135th. Its busiest year was 1995, with 96 boys. It first appears in the records in 1917. 9 girls were also named Mckay in 2025 (10,104th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Mckay in the US since 1880 were born between 1995 and 2012, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 23% of the babies named Mckay in the US were girls.
Mckay in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31 | #3,582 |
| 2024 | 31 | #3,603 |
| 2023 | 32 | #3,564 |
| 2022 | 44 | #2,871 |
| 2021 | 48 | #2,651 |
| 2020 | 36 | #3,135 |
| 2019 | 45 | #2,765 |
| 2018 | 46 | #2,673 |
| 2017 | 32 | #3,437 |
| 2016 | 56 | #2,335 |
| 2015 | 42 | #2,808 |
| 2014 | 56 | #2,315 |
| 2013 | 64 | #2,089 |
| 2012 | 57 | #2,269 |
| 2011 | 67 | #2,016 |
| 2010 | 72 | #1,939 |
| 2009 | 56 | #2,319 |
| 2008 | 55 | #2,344 |
| 2007 | 70 | #1,995 |
| 2006 | 69 | #1,942 |
| 2005 | 57 | #2,125 |
| 2004 | 66 | #1,853 |
| 2003 | 64 | #1,842 |
| 2002 | 74 | #1,617 |
| 2001 | 71 | #1,644 |
| 2000 | 65 | #1,721 |
| 1999 | 73 | #1,528 |
| 1998 | 65 | #1,602 |
| 1997 | 74 | #1,453 |
| 1996 | 84 | #1,301 |
| 1995 | 96 | #1,178 |
| 1994 | 68 | #1,417 |
| 1993 | 53 | #1,657 |
| 1992 | 48 | #1,745 |
| 1991 | 29 | #2,400 |
| 1990 | 23 | #2,774 |
| 1989 | 32 | #2,148 |
| 1988 | 16 | #3,198 |
| 1987 | 18 | #2,834 |
| 1986 | 28 | #2,055 |
| 1985 | 17 | #2,825 |
| 1984 | 13 | #3,268 |
| 1983 | 16 | #2,786 |
| 1982 | 11 | #3,690 |
| 1981 | 15 | #2,896 |
| 1980 | 11 | #3,614 |
| 1979 | 14 | #3,017 |
| 1978 | 14 | #2,928 |
| 1977 | 8 | #4,162 |
| 1976 | 10 | #3,469 |
| 1975 | 10 | #3,426 |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 5 | #4,983 |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 9 | #2,857 |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 5 | #3,677 |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 5 | #4,208 |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 7 | #3,465 |
| 1922 | 7 | #3,530 |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 6 | #3,543 |
Names like Mckay
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Brody Brayden Keegan Aiden Logan Kayden Declan Deacon Ronan Cannon Kian Kody
Names related to Mckay
More Scottish names
Isla Finley Arabella Cameron Bonnie Paisley Carson Maxwell Brodie Finlay Blair Lennox Skye Knox Dallas Lochlan
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Mckay: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/mckay, updated 20 October 2026.