Mackenzie is a Scottish name with Gaelic roots. Derived from the Gaelic surname MacCoinnich, Mackenzie means "comely," "attractive" or "pleasant to look at." It can also mean "child of the wise leader" and "born of fire."
Mackenzie first appeared in the United States as a boy's name, but rapidly gained popularity as a girl's name when the actress Mackenzie Phillips appeared on TV in the 1980s. (Interestingly, her full name is Laura Mackenzie Phillips. Like Laura Reese Witherspoon, the actress ignited a major baby name trend by using her middle name professionally.)
Today, Mackenzie is a gender-neutral name used for boys and girls. In the United States, it's more popular for girls. In other parts of the world, including Scotland, Mackenzie remains predominantly a boy's name.
Similar to other popular "M" names for girls, like McKenna and McKayla, Mackenzie gives off a modern yet classic vibe. Mackenzie is pronounced "muh-KEN-zee," and can have many different spellings, including Mckenzie, Makenzee, Mckinzie, Makenzi, Makenzie, Mackenzee, MacKenzie and McKenzie.
Mackenzie lends itself well to many nicknames that can make your Mackenzie stand out from the rest. From Kenzie and Mack to Ken, Enzi, or Mackie, you can add a unique twist to this popular name, making it more masculine or feminine to match your little one's personality.
Over the past 30 years, Mackenzie has gone from an unusual name to well-known regular for girls in United States. It skyrocketed in popularity in the 1990s, and peaked in 2001. After 20 years, Mackenzie recently dropped off the Social Security Administration's top-100 baby names for girls.
As often happens, Mackenzie dropped in popularity for boys as it took off as a name for girls. After peaking in 1994, Mackenzie fell off the SSA's top-1,000 boy names in 2001.
While Mackenzie has dipped in popularity, the name has staying power. Given its sweet and spunky appeal, you can expect this name to continue showing up on the charts for years to come.
Mackenzie Phillips : Actress and singer known for her roles in the film Amerian Graffiti and the television sitcom One Day at a Time
Mackenzie Jean : Daughter of author JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter series
MacKenzie Scott : Author, philanthropist, and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
Mackenzie Dern : UFC fighter, professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner
Mackenzie Davis : Canadian actress, producer, and model
Mackenzie Lym Rosman : Actress best known for her role as Ruthie Camden in the television show 7th Heaven
Mackenzie Christine Foy : Actress and model known for her role as Renesmee Cullen in the film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Mackenzie Firgens : Actress known for her role as April Ericson in the film adaptation of the musical Rent
Mackenzie Grace Mauzy : Actress who played Phoebe Forrester in the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful
Mackenzie Lintz : Actress who played Norrie Calvert-Hill on the television show Under the Dome.
Mackenzie Rosman : actress
Mackenzie Foy : actress
Mackenzie Phillips : actress