McCoy Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McCoy last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McCoy last name
Meaning of the McCoy last name: son of Aodh ("fire"). McCoy comes from the Gaelic Mac Aodha, "son of Aodh", an old personal name meaning "fire", usually given in English as Hugh. In Ulster many McCoys descended from Scottish soldiers who served Irish lords, and a branch later settled in west Limerick. A curious detail: the McCoys of Kentucky became famous through the Hatfield–McCoy feud, and "the real McCoy" is a well-known phrase.
Arms associated with the McCoy name
Old Irish families often chose animals such as the boar, the stag or the wolf, creatures admired for strength, a habit seen in arms tied to the McCoy name.
Get your full McCoy family history
This is only a glimpse of the McCoy story. The full McCoy history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted McCoy coat of arms. Get the full McCoy report.
McCoy name FAQ
What does the McCoy name mean?
Son of Aodh ("fire"). Common variants include McKay, Mackey, MacCoy.
Where does the McCoy surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Is there a McCoy coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McCoy coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).