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Mckay Family History

Mckay Name Meaning

Scottish and northern Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aoidh ‘son of Aodh’ an old personal name meaning ‘fire’. Etymologically this is the same name as McKee McGee McCoy and McHugh .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Mccay, Mccoy, Mcnay, Mccary, May, Mcclay, Mckey, Mcrae, Mackey, Mcroy

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Mckay family from?

You can see how Mckay families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mckay family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Mckay families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1911 there were 428 Mckay families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 27% of all the recorded Mckay's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Mckay families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mckay surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Mckay ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Mckay. 35% of Mckay men worked as a Farmer and 12% of Mckay women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Mckay were Carpenter and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Mckay | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    35%
  • Labourer
    7%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Carpenter
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    12%
  • Income
    11%
  • Teacher
    9%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Mckay family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 514,000 census records available for the last name Mckay. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mckay census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Mckay

Passenger Lists

There are 213,000 immigration records available for the last name Mckay. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Mckay immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 61,000 military records available for the last name Mckay. For the veterans among your Mckay ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Mckay lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Mckay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1996. The average life expectancy for Mckay in 1941 was 70, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Mckay

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