Mackenize
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "daughter of the wise leader".
Name Census estimates that about 328 living Americans carry the first name Mackenize. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mackenize today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mackenize births was 2000 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mackenize. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
328
~ 1 in 1,044,983 Americans
Peak year
2000
25 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,622
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Mackenize: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mackenize from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 170 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mackenize by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mackenize during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mackenize
The name Mackenize has its origins in the ancient Celtic language of Scottish Gaelic. It is a territorial name derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "cendaigh" meaning "attractive." The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 12th century in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient Irish chronicle.
The name Mackenize first gained prominence in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It was the surname of a powerful clan that ruled over the northwestern highlands and islands of Scotland. The Clan Mackenzie was one of the largest and most influential clans in Scottish history, with their ancestral lands centered around the county of Ross-shire.
While Mackenize was originally a Scottish surname, it gradually gained popularity as a first name in its own right, particularly in English-speaking countries. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mackenize was Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, a Scottish nobleman who lived from 1609 to 1688 and served as Lord Privy Seal of Scotland.
In the 18th century, the name Mackenize was associated with several notable figures. Mackenzie Caulfield (1713-1767) was an Irish actor and playwright, known for his comedic works such as "The Wig" and "The Patchwork Quilt." Another prominent individual was Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820), a Scottish explorer who became the first European to cross North America from coast to coast.
In the 19th century, Mackenzie King (1874-1950) was a Canadian politician who served as the 10th Prime Minister of Canada from 1921 to 1926 and again from 1926 to 1930 and 1935 to 1948. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Canadian history.
Another notable bearer of the name was Mackenzie Bowell (1823-1917), a Canadian politician who served as the 5th Prime Minister of Canada from 1894 to 1896. He was also a prominent newspaper publisher and played a significant role in the development of the Canadian press.
While the name Mackenize has its roots in Scottish Gaelic, it has since become a popular name across various cultures and regions, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its ancient Celtic origins and rich historical associations have contributed to its enduring appeal as a first name.
People
Mackenize + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mackenize as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mackenize: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mackenize?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 328 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mackenize going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,044,983 US residents.
Is Mackenize a common name?
We classify Mackenize as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 333 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mackenize most popular?
The single biggest year for Mackenize was 2000, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mackenize is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mackenize a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mackenize in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.