Meaning of Last Name

Meaning: "son of Aodh"

Origins: Southern Isles of Scotland, Isle of Man, Ulster

McCoy is a common surname of Irish, Scottish, and Manx origin. It is a derivation of the name Magee, an Anglicisation of its Irish Gaelic form Mac Aoidh or Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh" (an old word for Fire - a Celtic deity). It is particularly found in Ulster 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. MacKay is a Scottish variant of this surname. The origin of the idiom "the real McCoy" is unknown