Mackay/McKay/McCoy Y-DNA Surname Project- Background

Background

DNA testing opens up the opportunity for Mackays around the world to find their connection to Scotland. In the early and mid-1700s many Scots were transported out of Scotland and Ireland as a result of the long Jacobite rebellion. The Mackays suffered in the early 1800s as a part of the clearances of Strathnaver that moved many to the coasts. Many chose to leave Scotland rather than move to live along the crowded towns of the coasts. These events resulted in the descendants of one of the most famous and oldest of the true Gaelic Clans being scattered to many parts of the world. No matter how long ago your ancestor left Scotland, the chance to find this link is now possible through the comparison of Y-DNA and genealogical records.

There are thousands of Mackays spread around the world and many of them feel ties to their homeland. If you are a Mackay in Scotland we welcome your participation, as you may provide the information needed by a distant cousin.

Mc or Mac?

As Clans 2014 puts it:

Mc is Irish and Mac is Scottish. Or is it the other way round? Actually, it’s neither – McNaewhere (and for that matter M’Naewhere) are just abbreviations for MacNaewhere. The Mc or Mac form may have become fixed over time in one particular branch, but it does not signify origin. Also, don’t fret over variants – a McKay is a MacKay is a M’Kay is a McCay is a Mackey is a Makee is a Makey, and all are derived from MacHugh (Gaelic, MacAoidh).

Visit the genealogy companion site for the MacKay Project: http://mackayproject.cundiffgenealogy.org

If you have a desire to find your connection to the Mackays of Scotland, please consider participating in this Surname project. (If you are a female, you will have to recruit your father, an uncle, a brother or a male cousin.)

With the addition of the McCoy surname project we are acknowledging that there are likely to be numerous origins of these names. The more people we test and include in the comparisons, the more likely we are to find matches for participants.

A wee bit about the admins genealogy:

Bridget's own Mackay ancestry is well documented for 8 generations until it gets to that elusive Mackay who was a "soldier of fortune" under Empress Maria Theresa. Where did he come from? She hopes to find the answer and we hope to help others find their ancestral lines, too.

Greg's McCoy ancestry goes back to the original McCoy's who settled in the Southern Kentucky and South Western West Virginia. Yep you guessed it. Right smack in the middle of the later Hatfield and McCoy territory!

Other links:
Link to the Clan MacKay Society USA: http://www.clanmackayusa.org/
Link to the Clan Mackay Society: http://www.clanmackaysociety.org/
Link to the Clans 2014: http://www.clans2014.com/

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