McCoy is a common surname of unrelated Scottish and Irish origin. It was anglicized into the Scottish name from the Irish McGee and McHugh surnames in Irish Mac Aodha.[2] It is an Anglicisation of its Irish form Mac Aodha, meaning son of Aodh (a name of a deity[3] in Irish mythology and an Irish word for "fire"[4]). The first bearers of the surname Mac Aodha were the grandsons of Aodh (died 1033), who was a son of Ruaidhrí mac Coscraigh, King of South Connacht, Ireland.[5] The surname McCoy in Ulster however particularly in Northern Ireland is most likely from the gallowglass, Scottish mercenaries who came to Ireland in the 14th century, and the Scottish MacKays that arrived later in the 17th and 18th centuries in the Ulster plantations and became McCoys.[6]
| Language(s) | Gaelic |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Meaning | "son of Aodh" |
| Region of origin | Kintyre, Scotland and Connacht, Ireland |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | McKay, McKoy, McKey, McKee, McCay, McKie, McGee, Mac Aoidh, McHugh, Hughes, Hayes |
| Frequency Comparisons[1] | |
People
- One of the families in the 19th century Hatfield-McCoy feud in Kentucky/West Virginia
- Al McCoy (born 1933), American sports broadcaster
- Al McCoy (1894–1966), middleweight champion boxer
- Alban McCoy (born 1951), British priest and writer, former Catholic Chaplain of Cambridge University
- Alfred McCoy (1899–1990), American college sports coach
- Alfred W. McCoy (born 1945), American author and scholar of the Asian heroin drug trade
- Alice McCoy (born 1948), member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
- Andy McCoy (born 1962), Finnish guitarist of Hanoi Rocks
- Barry M. McCoy (born 1940), American physicist
- Bob McCoy (1934–2016), American basketball player and coach
- Brian McCoy (1943–1975), Irish musician, trumpet player
- Carl McCoy (born 1963), musician
- Charlie McCoy (born 1941), American musician
- Clyde McCoy (1903–1990), American jazz trumpeter
- Colt McCoy (born 1986), American football quarterback
- Dave McCoy (1915–2020), American businessman and skier
- Elaine McCoy (1946–2020), Canadian senator
- Elijah McCoy (1844–1929), inventor, automatic machinery lubricator, lawn sprinkler, cited as the inspiration for the phrase "The real McCoy"
- Erik McCoy (born 1997), American football player
- Ernie McCoy (1904–1980), American collegiate athletic director
- Ernie McCoy (1921-2001), Formula One driver
- Ethel Bergstresser McCoy (1893–1980), of New York City
- Frank Ross McCoy (1874-1954), United States Army officer
- Freddie McCoy (1932-2009), American soul-jazz vibraphonist
- Frederick McCoy (1823–1899), British palaeontologist
- Garry McCoy (born 1972), Australian motorcycle racer
- George McCoy (born 1948), author of a guide to sexual services in Britain
- George Walter McCoy (1876-1952), American physician
- Gerald McCoy (born 1988), American football player
- Gerry McCoy (born 1960), Scottish football player
- Horace McCoy (1897–1955), American writer
- Jack E. McCoy (1929-2014), American politician
- Jake McCoy (1942-2021), American hockey player
- Janet J. McCoy (1916-1995), American administrator and politician
- Jason McCoy (born 1970), Canadian singer/songwriter
- Jason L. McCoy (born 1971), Attorney, Mayor of the Town of Vernon, Connecticut Politician
- Jelani McCoy (born 1977), American basketball player
- Jeremy McCoy, (born 1963), American-Canadian double bassist with Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
- John McCoy (disambiguation), multiple people
- Joseph McCoy (1837-1913), 19th-century cattle baron
- Joseph H. McCoy (died 1897), Black American lynching victim
- Kansas Joe McCoy (1905–1950), American musician
- Kellen McCoy (born 1987), American basketball player and coach
- Kevin McCoy (born 1967), American artist
- Kevin McCoy (born 1954), rector of the Pontifical North American College.
- Kid McCoy (1872–1940), boxer (born Norman Selby)
- LeRon McCoy (born 1982), American football wide receiver
- LeSean McCoy (born 1988), American football running back
- LisaRaye McCoy (born 1967), American actress
- Maimie McCoy (born 1979), English actress
- Mark McCoy (born 1975), American musician
- Marvin McCoy (born 1988), professional footballer
- Mary Eleanora McCoy (1846-1923), American philanthropist, organizer, and clubwoman
- Matt McCoy (born 1958), American actor
- Matt McCoy (born 1982), American football linebacker
- Matt McCoy (born 1966), member of the Iowa Senate
- Mike McCoy (disambiguation), multiple people
- Neal McCoy (born 1958), American country music singer
- Neal Henry McCoy (1905–2001), American mathematician
- Obed McCoy (born 1997) West Indies cricket player
- Papa Charlie McCoy (1909–1950), American musician
- Paul McCoy, musician
- Randolph McCoy (1825-1914) of the Hatfield–McCoy feud, also called Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy.
- Richard McCoy, Jr. (1942-1974), airplane hijacker
- Richard McCoy (1863–1942), Australian politician
- Richard B. McCoy (died 1902), American politician
- Rico McCoy (born 1987), American football player
- Robert McCoy (died 1849), member of the United States House of Representatives
- Robert Bruce McCoy (1867-1926), United States National Guard officer
- Rose Marie McCoy (1922–2015), American songwriter
- Simon McCoy (born 1961), British journalist and newsreader
- Stephen McCoy (1948–1989), American serial killer
- Steve McCoy, radio morning show host
- Sylvester McCoy (born 1943), Scottish actor
- Tim McCoy (1891–1978), American actor
- Timothy McCoy (1955-1972), American murder victim who was killed by John Wayne Gacy
- Tony McCoy (born 1974), Irish National Hunt jockey
- Travis McCoy (born 1981), member of the hip-hop group Gym Class Heroes
- Van McCoy (1940–1979), music producer and songwriter
- Walter McCoy (disambiguation), multiple people
- William D. McCoy (1853–1893), American diplomat
- William S. McCoy (1877–1948), American rum–runner
- Wilson McCoy (1902–1961), American artist and cartoonist
Fictional characters
- McCoy, in the 1975-1976 TV series McCoy played by Tony Curtis
- The McCoys in the 1957-1963 TV series The Real McCoys:
- Amos McCoy, played by Walter Brennan
- Claude McCoy, played by Noah Beery Jr.
- Sir Fergus McCoy, played by Torin Thatcher
- Jed McCoy, played by Henry Jones
- Karen McCoy, played by Kim Basinger
- Kate McCoy, played by Kathleen Nolan
- Luke McCoy, played by Richard Crenna
- Myra McCoy, played by Eve McVeagh
- Orval McCoy, played by Sterling Holloway
- Alice McCoy, in the 2001-2002 TV series Digimon Tamers
- Brian McCoy, in the 1938 film The Crowd Roads played by Frank Morgan and the 1947 remake Killer McCoy played by James Dunn
- Buddy McCoy, in the 1984 film Truckin' Buddy McCoy played by Terence Knox
- Danny McCoy, in the 2003-2008 TV series Las Vegas played by Josh Duhamel
- Ebenezar McCoy, a mentor in the book series: The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
- Dr. Henry "Hank" P. McCoy, aka 'Beast' from Marvel Comics' X-Men
- Jack McCoy, in the TV series Law & Order played by Sam Waterston
- Jake McCoy, in the TV series Chicago P.D. played by Billy Burke
- Job "Blue Streak" McCoy, in the 1920 lost film Blue Streak McCoy played by Harry Carey
- Josie McCoy, in the Josie and the Pussycats franchise
- Mrs. Laura McCoy, in the 1947 film Killer McCoy played by Gloria Holden
- Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series and six Star Trek films
- Ray McCoy, the main character of the 1997 video game Blade Runner
- Rebecca McCoy, in the TV series Law & Order played by Elizabeth Waterston and Jamie Schofield
- Rob McCoy, in the 2001-2002 TV series Digimon Tamers
- Sherman McCoy, in the 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
- Skip McCoy, in the 1953 film Pickup on South Street played by Richard Widmark
- Tommy "Killer" McCoy, in the 1938 film The Crowd Roars played by Robert Taylor and the 1947 remake Killer McCoy played by Mickey Rooney
- Willie "Slim" McCoy, in the 1972 song "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" by Jim Croce
See also
References
External links
This page lists people with the surname McCoy.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.