2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mackensen
A surname of German origin meaning "son of Mackens" or "son of Matthew".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Mackensen. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mackensen 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Mackensen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.4%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mackensen
The surname MACKENSEN is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas around modern-day Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Hans Mackensen is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone from a place called "Mackensen" or a similar-sounding name.
In the 16th century, the name MACKENSEN gained prominence with the rise of a noble family that bore this surname. This family is said to have originated from the town of Mackensen, located in the district of Lüneburg in Lower Saxony. The Mackensen family played a significant role in the region's history, with several members holding important positions in local government and military affairs.
One notable figure was August von Mackensen (1849-1945), a Prussian-German field marshal who gained fame during World War I for his successful campaigns in the Balkans and Romania. His military exploits earned him the nickname "the Last Hussar" and he was widely regarded as one of the most skilled cavalry commanders of his time.
Another prominent individual with the surname MACKENSEN was Hans Georg von Mackensen (1883-1947), a German diplomat who served as the ambassador to Hungary during World War II. He played a crucial role in negotiations between Germany and Hungary, and was later convicted of war crimes at the Nuremberg trials.
In the realm of literature, the German writer and journalist Luise Mackensen (1805-1889) gained recognition for her novels and travel writings, which provided insights into the cultural and social landscapes of 19th-century Germany.
While the surname MACKENSEN is predominantly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and diaspora. Notable individuals with this surname include the Finnish politician and diplomat Carl Enckell (born Carl Mackensen) and the American businessman and philanthropist Theodore Mackensen, who founded the Mackensen Foundation.
Overall, the surname MACKENSEN has a rich history rooted in the northern Germanic regions, with notable bearers across various fields, including military, diplomacy, literature, and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mackensen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.4%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mackensen 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 Mackensen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 95
- Two or more races11.4% · 13
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mackensen
Mackensen 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,507 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-15 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,507 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 15,116 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 Mackensen 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 | #131,379 | #146,495 | -11.5% |
| Count | 129 | 114 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mackensen bearers went from 129 to 114 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 15,116 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #146,495.
FAQ
Mackensen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mackensen?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Mackensen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Mackensen?
Mackensen ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Mackensen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Mackensen.
Has Mackensen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mackensen went from 129 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Mackensen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.4%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Mackensen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mackensen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Two or More Races (11.4%), Black (1.8%). 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 Mackensen (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 Mackensen mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "son of Mackens" or "son of Matthew". 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 Mackensen (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 common is the surname Mackensen?
Want to know how many people are called Mackensen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.