2000
#8,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,678
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Mckinzie
A variant of Mackenzie, an anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic surname meaning "son of Kenneth."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,212 Americans carry the last name Mckinzie. That puts it at #8,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,376 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckinzie 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mckinzie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,376
Census rank
#8,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,673 bearers of the surname Mckinzie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckinzie
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckinzie 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 Mckinzie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.6% · 2,226
- Black or African American27.1% · 996
- Two or more races6.5% · 239
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckinzie
Mckinzie 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
#8,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,929
+251 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 135 places
2020
#8,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,673
-256 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,279 | 3,678 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,414 | 3,929 | 1.33 | +251 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 135 places |
| 2020 | #8,590 | 3,673 | 1.23 | -256 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 176 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 Mckinzie 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 | #8,414 | #8,590 | -2.1% |
| Count | 3,929 | 3,673 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.23 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckinzie bearers went from 3,929 to 3,673 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 176 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,414 to #8,590.
FAQ
Mckinzie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckinzie?
Name Census estimates that about 4,212 living Americans carry the surname Mckinzie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,376 residents.
How common is Mckinzie?
Mckinzie ranks #8,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,673 people with the surname Mckinzie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mckinzie.
Has Mckinzie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckinzie went from 3,929 recorded bearers to 3,673. That is a decrease of 256 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,414 to #8,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckinzie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Mckinzie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.6% (2,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckinzie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.6%), Black (27.1%), Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Mckinzie (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 Mckinzie mean?
A variant of Mackenzie, an anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic surname meaning "son of Kenneth." 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 Mckinzie (1.23 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 Mckinzie?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.