Find out how popular the last name Kenzie is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kenzie.

Kenzie, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kenzie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kenzie in America

Kenzie is the 95955th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kenzie surname appeared 190 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kenzie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kenzie to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kenzie

The surname Kenzie has its origins in Scotland, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is a variant of the surname Mackenzie, which is derived from the Gaelic name "MacCoinnich," meaning "son of the handsome or bright one." The Mackenzies were a powerful clan in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the county of Ross-shire.

One of the earliest known references to the name Kenzie appears in the "Register of the Privy Council of Scotland" in 1584, where it is spelled "Kynzie." This document mentions a legal dispute involving a person named John Kynzie. In the same century, the name is also found in the "Records of the Presbytery of Inverness and Dingwall," where it is spelled "Kenzie."

The Kenzie surname is closely associated with the Scottish town of Kintail, which was once a stronghold of the Mackenzie clan. The town's name is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "Cinn" (head) and "tàil" (beach), referring to its geographical location at the head of a sea loch.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kenzie was Sir George Mackenzie of Tarbat, 1st Earl of Cromartie (1630-1714), a Scottish lawyer and statesman. In the 17th century, another notable person was Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820), a Scottish explorer who became the first European to cross the North American continent from coast to coast.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Henry Mackenzie (1745-1831), a Scottish novelist and playwright known for his work "The Man of Feeling." The 19th century saw the rise of William Lyon Mackenzie (1795-1861), a Scottish-born Canadian political reformer and leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Kenzie in more recent history was Meryl Streep's character, Karen Silkwood, in the 1983 film "Silkwood." Karen Silkwood was a real-life nuclear plant worker and labor union activist who investigated safety issues at the plant where she worked.

Throughout history, the surname Kenzie and its variations have been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from lawyers and politicians to explorers and activists, all with ties to the Scottish heritage and the Mackenzie clan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kenzie

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kenzie.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kenzie was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kenzie has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kenzie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kenzie, please contact us.

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