Mckenzie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Scottish surname of Gaelic origin carried by many families ; a place name given to a river in the American Pacific Northwest
2. A family name of Highland Scottish origin shared by many people ; a geographic name borne by a river in the state of Oregon
3. A surname of Gaelic origin common in Scotland and elsewhere ; a proper name for a river flowing through the Pacific Northwest of the United States

Etymology: "McKenzie" is a rare spelling variant of the surname MacKenzie, and the name itself is Scottish Gaelic. "Mac" means "son of," and the second element is usually explained as "Coinneach," a personal name meaning roughly "fair" or "handsome." The surname therefore originally meant "son of Coinneach," and it became established in the Highlands, where the Clan MacKenzie held lands in the northwest of Scotland. The capital letter in the middle of the name is the only real difference between the two forms. Scottish and Irish surnames beginning with "Mac" were written in many different ways over the centuries, with and without a capital after the prefix, and "Mc" was a common abbreviation. The spelling "McKenzie" thus reflects a later choice in how the same family name was written rather than a separate origin, and the shape you see on a page depends largely on the record-keeper or the family.