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Mackey Family History

Mackey Surname Meaning

Pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, this is Irish, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Macdha ‘descendant of Macdha’, a personal name meaning ‘virile, manly’.

With the stress on the second syllable, it is a variant of Scottish and Irish McKay.

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


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Mackey family from?

You can see how Mackey families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mackey family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Mackey families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 237 Mackey families living in London. This was about 20% of all the recorded Mackey's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Mackey families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mackey surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Mackey ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Builders Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Mackey. 9% of Mackey men worked as a Builders Labourer and 77% of Mackey women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Mackey were Insurance Agent and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Mackey | 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 1939

  • Builders Labourer
    9%
  • General Labourer
    9%
  • Gardener
    7%
  • Insurance Agent
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    77%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Housewife
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%

What Mackey family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 171,000 census records available for the last name Mackey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mackey census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Mackey

Passenger Lists

There are 18,000 immigration records available for the last name Mackey. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Mackey immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Mackey. For the veterans among your Mackey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Mackey military records

You've only scratched the surface of Mackey family history

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What is the average Mackey lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Mackey life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Mackey in 1940 was 39, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Mackey

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Mackey ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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