2000
#4,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,510
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.41
Rare Last name
Mackie
A Scottish surname derived from the given name Macrath, meaning "son of grace" or "son of prosperity."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,149 Americans carry the last name Mackie. That puts it at #5,400 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,944 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mackie 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 Mackie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 47,944
Census rank
#5,400
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,234 bearers of the surname Mackie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5400th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackie, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mackie
The surname Mackie has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "MacEachaidh," which translates to "son of Eachaidh" or "son of the horse-man." This suggests that the name may have initially denoted someone who worked with horses or was skilled in horsemanship.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in various Scottish charters and records. One notable mention is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homages rendered to Edward I of England, which includes the name John Mackie from Perthshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mackies were prominent landowners and clan members in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, and Lanarkshire. The name was often spelled in various ways, such as Makkie, Makie, and Makkye, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Robert Mackie (1302-1368), a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another notable figure was William Mackie (1530-1592), a Scottish minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Mackie surname appeared in several historical records, including the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland and the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland. One notable entry is that of John Mackie, a merchant from Edinburgh, who was granted a charter for lands in Fife in 1610.
Over the centuries, the Mackie surname has been associated with various places and localities in Scotland, such as Mackie Hill in Renfrewshire, Mackie's Mill in Ayrshire, and Mackie's Castle in East Lothian. These place names reflect the historical presence and influence of the Mackie family in different regions of Scotland.
Other notable bearers of the Mackie surname include John Mackie (1748-1832), a Scottish philosopher and professor at the University of Glasgow; David Mackie (1836-1910), a Scottish engineer and inventor known for his improvements to the marine engine; and Alexander Mackie (1886-1971), a Scottish artist and painter renowned for his landscapes and portraits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mackie
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackie, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mackie 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 Mackie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 4,890
- Black or African American13.1% · 814
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 251
- Two or more races3.5% · 216
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mackie
Mackie 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
#5,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,686
+176 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 264 places
2020
#5,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,234
-452 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,957 | 6,510 | 2.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,221 | 6,686 | 2.27 | +176 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 264 places |
| 2020 | #5,400 | 6,234 | 2.09 | -452 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 179 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 Mackie 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 | #5,221 | #5,400 | -3.4% |
| Count | 6,686 | 6,234 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.27 | 2.09 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mackie bearers went from 6,686 to 6,234 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,221 to #5,400.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mackie
FAQ
Mackie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mackie?
Name Census estimates that about 7,149 living Americans carry the surname Mackie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,944 residents.
How common is Mackie?
Mackie ranks #5,400 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,234 people with the surname Mackie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mackie.
Has Mackie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mackie went from 6,686 recorded bearers to 6,234. That is a decrease of 452 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,221 to #5,400.
What does the Census say about the background of Mackie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackie, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (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 Mackie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (4,890 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mackie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (13.1%), Hispanic (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 Mackie (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 Mackie mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the given name Macrath, meaning "son of grace" or "son of prosperity." 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 Mackie (2.09 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 many people share the surname Mackie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.