MCKEE
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Kee, Mckee
McKee is a surname of Gaelic, Irish and Scottish provenance, belonging to a class of patronymic surnames that trace back to the early Celtic peoples of the British Isles.
The name originates from the Gaelic personal name Mac Aodha, literally translating as “son of Aodh.” The element Aodh means “fire” or “fiery,” a word that in ancient times also denoted a former pagan deity. The persistence of the surname, despite this religious connotation, illustrates the continuity of Gaelic naming traditions through the Christian era.
Variations of the surname are numerous; the orthographic forms McKay, McKee, Kee, McCay, McCoy, McEa and McAy have all been recorded. The spelling MacKee is especially common in north-east Ulster, and is found throughout Counties Antrim, Down and Armagh. In the Republic of Ireland, the shortened form Kee is most prevalent, particularly in County Donegal.
The earliest documented instance of the name appears in a Manx list of 1098, the entry being that of Cucail Mac Aedha. This record dates to the reign of Cathal Craobhdhearg (Red Hand), who was High King of Ireland between 1198 and 1224. Subsequent early references include Geoffr Georges McKe of Myretoun, mentioned in the Register of the Privy Seal for Scotland in 1538, and Sir Patrick MacKee, who served as a prominent County Donegal servitor during the Plantation of Ulster in 1641.
In the nineteenth century, the surname appears in a range of civil and ecclesiastical records. On 24 April 1845, Robert Kee and Anne Jane Wilson were recorded as married at Raphoe, County Donegal. Two years later, on 17 May 1847, James Kee, a famine emigrant, departed from Belfast aboard the ship “Pontiac” bound for New York. These entries illustrate the widespread presence of bearers of the name in both rural and urban settings, as well as their involvement in the migration that characterised the era.
Throughout its history, the McKee surname has maintained an association with the qualities of passion, energy and intensity, attributes derived from its etymological link to the word for fire. Its endurance across centuries and across the different parts of the British Isles testifies to the resilience of Gaelic patronymic naming practices within a Christianised society.
Typical given names associated with the McKee surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Alison
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Jacqueline
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McKee in...
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There are approximately 6,604 people named McKee in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,432nd most common surname in Britain. Around 101 in a million people in Britain are named McKee.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named McKee
- Roxanne McKee - Canadian-born British actress
- Gina McKee - Actress
- Lyra McKee - Northern Irish journalist (1990 to 2019)
- David McKee - Children's illustrator
- Pete McKee - Artist
- Joe McKee - Scottish football player
- Colin McKee - Scottish football player
- Jaimes McKee - Football player
- Martin McKee - Professor of public health
- Alexander McKee - Journalist and author (1918 to 1992)
- Melville McKee - Racing driver
- Mark McKee - Football player
- Ian McKee - UK politician
- Kenneth McKee - Orthopaedist (1906 to 1991)
- Frank McKee - Scottish football player (1923 to 1988)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.