McKenzie
A Scottish surname meaning “son of Kenneth,” with deep Gaelic roots and a long association with the Highland clan Mackenzie.
The #563 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,181 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McKenzie is an anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Coinnich, meaning “son of Coinneach” or “son of Kenneth.” The personal name Coinneach is usually explained as coming from a Gaelic word meaning “handsome” or “fair,” though older sources often simply gloss the surname as “the son of Keneth/Kenneth.” In English spelling, Mac often became Mc, and the final name was standardized in various forms such as Mackenzie and M'Kensie.
History
The name is strongly associated with the Highland Clan Mackenzie, which became prominent in northern Scotland. Historical sources also note its spread into Ulster, where many Scottish surnames were carried by settlement and migration. In modern use it appears in several spellings, with McKenzie especially common in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In some 19th-century county studies, Mackenzie is listed among the notably frequent Scottish surnames in Ulster.
From the historical record
“non in Ulster. MACKENZIE. 'The son of Keneth." The family boast of their descent from the great Anglo-Norman race of Fitz-Gerald in Ireland in the XII. cent. ; but Skene sajs they are of unquestionably Gaelic origin. A modern genealogist, espousing the former opinion, says that the Craig-Hall Mackeuzies " were…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom