McCoy (surname)

McCoy is a common surname of Scottish origin in the lands of Kintyre and then Irish (Gallowglass) origin. It is an Anglicisation of its Irish form Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh" (an old word for "Fire", a Celtic deity). It is particularly found in Ulster (Counties Antrim, Armagh and Monaghan) where many settled around the 13th century, having been Gallowglasses, and also in counties Limerick and Cork. Aoidh and Mac Aoigh were sometimes Anglicised as Hugh and McHugh.

McCoy
Language(s)Gaelic
Origin
Meaning"son of Aodh"
Region of originSouthern Isles of Scotland, Kintyre, Ulster Ireland
Other names
Variant form(s)McKay, McKoy, McKey, McKee, McCay, McKie, McGee, Mac Aoidh, McHugh, Hughes, Hayes
Frequency Comparisons[1]

Individuals

Use in fiction

Other uses

  • One of the families in the Hatfield-McCoy feud in Kentucky/West Virginia in the 19th century. A TV mini-series "Hatfields & McCoys" starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton depict the horrific blood feud between the two families on the West Virginia/Kentucky border in the years after the Civil War.

References

  1. "McCoy Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
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