Mackenzie

This lively Scottish surname is an anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Coinnich, Coinnich being one of the original Gaelic forms of Kenneth.

As a given name, it caught on for girls in a big way starting from the 1970s in the US, thanks to the actress Mackenzie Phillips. Before that it was rare as a given name, never used on more than 4 babies a year until 1973. The following year it appeared for the first time as a boy name, and while it has always remained more popular for girls, it has been consistently used on boys.

Across the pond in the UK meanwhile, Mackenzie, or the slightly preferred spelling, Mckenzie, is far more familiar on boys than it is on girls. It peaked at #109 for boys in 2005 (#303 for girls the name year), and while it has now left the Top 1000, Mckenzie remains.

Currently used on 86 boys a year in the US (compared with around 1740 girls), Mackenzie is actually trending slowly upwards among baby boys, despite trending downwards for girls. With in-built nicknames Mack and Kenzo, perhaps Mackenzie will be considered more often in the future, as an alternative to the likes of Malakai, Avery, and Maverick.

Pronounced muh-KEN-zee.

As of October 2026, Mackenzie ranked #1671 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #366 in 1994.