McGhee

McGhee is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Aoidh (also Mac Aodha), meaning "son of Aodh," with Aodh being a Gaelic given name often associated with the word for fire. The spelling McGhee is one of several variants that developed through regional pronunciation and anglicization, including McGee and McGehee.

The name is found in Scotland and Ireland and spread to North America through later waves of emigration. In the United States, bearers of the surname have historically been present in areas with Scottish and Ulster-Scots heritage, including the Appalachian region and parts of the South. Variants such as McGee and McGehee are encountered in similar communities, reflecting the name’s geographic and linguistic diffusion.

In addition to personal names, McGhee appears in place names and institutions in the United States. One notable example is the McGhee Tyson Airport near Knoxville, Tennessee, a joint civil-military facility whose name reflects local family names incorporated into the site’s designation. The airport is commonly referred to by its IATA code, TYS.

Related surnames include McGee and McGehee, which share the same Gaelic origins. For broader context, McGhee is sometimes treated alongside other Mac- or Mc- prefixed surnames that arose from patronymic Gaelic traditions.