girl's name
Mackenzie
muh-KEN-zee
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 177,804
the United States
#228
2025 births
Mackenzie means son of Coinneach, and the missing sound is the point — the Gaelic ends in a soft ch that English cannot spell, so the anglicized ending was written as a z that was never pronounced as one.
- Mackenzie is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 2001, when 7,105 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,299 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1973.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Mackenzie over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,018 |
| 1980s | 5,921 |
| 1990s | 39,303 |
| 2000s | 55,591 |
| 2010s | 35,624 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 11,678 |
What Mackenzie means
Mackenzie means son of Coinneach, a Gaelic name meaning handsome or fair one. The surname names a descent rather than describing the person carrying it.
Where Mackenzie comes from
Mackenzie is the Scottish Gaelic MacCoinnich, son of Coinneach — handsome or comely. The z is a spelling accident: Middle Scots used the letter yogh for a sound English lost, printers substituted z because it looked similar, and the pronunciation followed the spelling in some words while resisting it in others. The same substitution gives Menzies, which Scots still say as Mingis. Coinneach is often confused with Cinaed, the separate Gaelic name behind Kenneth, which does mean born of fire — so the fire-born reading widely given for Mackenzie belongs to a different name.
Mackenzie in use
Mackenzie peaked in the United States in 2001, when 7,105 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 228th in the United States on 1,442 births — the highest position of any name in this group — 751st in Ireland, 755th in Scotland, 1098th in England and Wales on 42 and 5736th in France, across 177,804 lifetime births. About 92 percent of recorded births are female, and our records carry it only from 1973.
How popular is Mackenzie?
In 2025, Mackenzie was given to 1,442 babies in the United States, ranking #228 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Mackenzie is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Mackenzie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mackenzie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mackenzie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
6 nicknames for Mackenzie
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Mackenzie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Mackenzie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mackenzie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mackenzie
What does the name Mackenzie mean?
Son of Coinneach — a Gaelic name meaning handsome or fair one.
Why is there a z in Mackenzie?
Printers substituted z for the lost letter yogh because it looked similar, and the pronunciation followed.
Does Mackenzie mean born of fire?
No — that belongs to Cinaed, the separate Gaelic name behind Kenneth, which is often confused with Coinneach.
How popular is Mackenzie?
228th in the United States, the highest position of any name in this group.
Is Mackenzie a girl's or a boy's name?
Mackenzie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mackenzie?
Mackenzie has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Mackenzie?
Mackenzie is usually shortened to Kenzie, Mac, Mack, Ken, Mackie and Kenz.
Is Mackenzie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mackenzie currently ranks #138 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.