Macy
MAY-see
Macy is an English surname derived from the Norman French place name Massé (now Masséy in Normandy), which came from the Latin Maccius, a Roman personal name possibly related to Matthew.
As a given name it was popularised in the US, partly through the fame of Macy’s department store, founded 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy.
Rowland Macy founded his department store in New York City, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has made the brand a central cultural fixture. This commercial association gave the name a warm, celebratory quality in American cultural memory.
What the name Macy means
Macy peaked in the US at No. 219 in 2003 with 1,483 births. In 2024 it ranks No. 662 with 440 births, well below its early-2000s high.
Actress Macy Gray (born Natalie McIntyre, 1969) chose the name as a stage persona, and actress Macy’s namesake characters in TV series have kept it culturally present. Country musician Macy Kate also gave the name pop visibility.
Two syllables—MAY-see—are bright and friendly. The name has a sweet, upbeat quality that placed it firmly in the early-2000s trend of short, soft-ending feminine names.
Parents who chose Macy often wanted a name with the warmth of a familiar surname and the accessibility of a short form, without committing to the formality of longer variants.
Related names include Macey (variant spelling), Maci (simplified spelling), Lacey (rhyming name from a different origin), and the French place-name root from Normandy that gave the department store its name.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Famous people named Macy
Macy - similar names
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