2000
#2,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.88
Uncommon Last name
Mackenzie
A Scottish surname referring to the son of Kenneth or the son of the fair one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,419 Americans carry the last name Mackenzie. That puts it at #2,621 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,229 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mackenzie surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mackenzie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,229
Census rank
#2,621
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,446 bearers of the surname Mackenzie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2621st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackenzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mackenzie
The surname MACKENZIE is of Scottish origin, originating from the Gaelic words 'mac' meaning 'son of' and 'cuindigh' meaning 'handsome' or 'bright one'. The name first appeared in the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands and is associated with the Clan Mackenzie, one of the most powerful clans in the region.
The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Coinneach Mor, who lived in the late 12th century and was the progenitor of the Clan Mackenzie. The name MACKENZIE is closely linked to the historical events and battles involving the clan, such as the Battle of Locharbriggs in 1480 and the Clan's support for the Jacobite cause in the 18th century.
One of the most notable figures in the history of the MACKENZIE surname was Sir George Mackenzie, born in 1636, who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland and played a significant role in the political and legal affairs of the time. Another prominent bearer of the name was Colin Mackenzie, born in 1754, a Scottish surveyor and explorer who produced the first accurate survey of the Indian subcontinent.
The name MACKENZIE is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Mackenzie's Castle in Ross-shire and the town of Kintail, where the Clan Mackenzie had their ancestral lands. The spelling variations of the name over time include Mackenzie, MacKenzie, MacKenzia, and Mackenzy.
Other notable individuals who bore the surname MACKENZIE throughout history include Alexander Mackenzie, born in 1764, a Scottish explorer who completed the first known transcontinental crossing of North America, and Sir Alexander Mackenzie, born in 1838, a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the second Prime Minister of Canada from 1873 to 1878.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mackenzie
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackenzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mackenzie bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mackenzie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 11,894
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 570
- Two or more races4.0% · 541
- Black or African American1.8% · 236
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 172
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mackenzie
Mackenzie appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,733
+559 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 4.66
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#2,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,446
-287 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 4.50
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,515 | 13,174 | 4.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,628 | 13,733 | 4.66 | +559 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #2,621 | 13,446 | 4.50 | -287 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 7 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mackenzie surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,628 | #2,621 | 0.3% |
| Count | 13,733 | 13,446 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.66 | 4.50 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mackenzie bearers went from 13,733 to 13,446 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,628 to #2,621.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mackenzie
FAQ
Mackenzie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mackenzie?
Name Census estimates that about 15,419 living Americans carry the surname Mackenzie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,229 residents.
How common is Mackenzie?
Mackenzie ranks #2,621 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,446 people with the surname Mackenzie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,419), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Mackenzie.
Has Mackenzie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mackenzie went from 13,733 recorded bearers to 13,446. That is a decrease of 287 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,628 to #2,621.
What does the Census say about the background of Mackenzie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackenzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mackenzie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (11,894 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mackenzie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mackenzie (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mackenzie mean?
A Scottish surname referring to the son of Kenneth or the son of the fair one. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mackenzie (4.50 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Mackenzie?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mackenzie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.