2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mackens
A variant of the English surname Mackins, derived from a medieval diminutive of the name Mack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Mackens. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mackens 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.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Mackens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackens, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mackens
The surname MACKENS is believed to have originated in Scotland, derived from the Gaelic "mac Eanruig," meaning "son of Henry." This patronymic name dates back to the 12th century, when it was common practice to identify individuals by their father's name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Willelmus Makhenry" is thought to refer to an ancestor of the MACKENS family.
By the 15th century, variations of the spelling had emerged, such as MACKHENRY, MACHENRY, and MACKENRY. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the phonetic interpretation of the name by scribes and record-keepers.
The MACKENS name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such figure was John Mackens (c. 1530-1590), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Ross from 1572 until his death. He played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and was a staunch supporter of the Presbyterian church.
Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Mackens (1625-1692), a Scottish judge and landowner who served as Lord Justice Clerk, the second highest judicial position in Scotland at the time. He was known for his impartial rulings and his efforts to reform the Scottish legal system.
In the 18th century, the MACKENS name was linked to several place names in Scotland, including Mackensburgh, a small village in Renfrewshire, and Mackenshall, an estate in Ayrshire. These place names likely derived from the surname and reflected the influence of the MACKENS family in those regions.
Another notable figure was James Mackens (1784-1854), a Scottish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Edinburgh, including the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland. His work played a significant role in shaping the city's architectural landscape during the Georgian era.
Finally, in the 19th century, Sir Thomas Mackens (1825-1892) was a Scottish industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the textile industry in Glasgow. He was also a prominent supporter of educational initiatives and founded the Mackens Trust, which provided scholarships to underprivileged students.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mackens
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackens, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mackens 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 Mackens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.2% · 80
- Black or African American23.5% · 28
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mackens
Mackens 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-8 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,501 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,648 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 15,501 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 1,648 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 Mackens 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 | #141,140 | #142,788 | -1.2% |
| Count | 118 | 119 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mackens bearers went from 118 to 119 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 1,648 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,788.
FAQ
Mackens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mackens?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Mackens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Mackens?
Mackens ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Mackens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mackens.
Has Mackens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mackens went from 118 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Mackens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackens, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mackens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.2% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mackens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.2%), Black (23.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mackens (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 Mackens mean?
A variant of the English surname Mackins, derived from a medieval diminutive of the name Mack. 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 Mackens (0.04 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 have the surname Mackens?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.