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

McKinzie, 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 McKinzie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKinzie in America

McKinzie is the 8414th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKinzie surname appeared 3,929 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McKinzie.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKinzie 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 McKinzie

The surname McKinzie is a Scottish name with origins dating back to the 11th century. It is a variant of the name McKenzie, which originated in the Gaelic language and is derived from the words "mac Coinnich," meaning "son of Coinneach" or "son of Kenneth."

The name McKenzie is closely associated with the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the areas of Ross-shire and Inverness-shire. It is believed that the name first appeared in written records around the 12th century, when Clan Mackenzie emerged as one of the prominent clans in the region.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name McKenzie can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the year 1263, which refer to a person named "Kennoch Mac Kennochyrry." This is thought to be an early spelling variation of the name.

In the 14th century, there are references to the McKenzie clan's involvement in various battles and conflicts, including the Battle of Largs in 1263, where they fought alongside other Scottish clans against the invading forces of King Haakon IV of Norway.

Notable individuals with the surname McKinzie throughout history include:

1. Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820), a Scottish explorer who completed the first recorded transcontinental crossing of North America to the Pacific Ocean in 1793.

2. William Lyon Mackenzie (1795-1861), a Scottish-Canadian journalist and political reformer who played a significant role in the Rebellions of 1837 in Upper Canada.

3. Archibald Mackenzie (1694-1768), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1742 to 1748.

4. Compton Mackenzie (1883-1972), an English-born Scottish novelist and playwright, best known for his satirical novels and plays set in Scotland.

5. William Mackenzie (1849-1923), a Canadian businessman and railway builder who co-founded the Canadian Northern Railway and played a pivotal role in the development of Canada's transportation infrastructure.

The McKinzie surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Kintail, a historic district in the Highlands where the Mackenzie clan held significant power and influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKinzie

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

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 McKinzie 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 McKinzie 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 McKinzie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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