NameCensus.

UK surname

Kenzie

An Anglicized form of the Scottish surname Mac Kenzie meaning "son of the fair, bright one."

In the 1881 census there were 98 people recorded with the Kenzie surname, ranking it #19,999 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 127, ranked #26,566, down from #19,999 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rowley Regis, London parishes and Beckenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Cambridgeshire, Stroud and Kensington and Chelsea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kenzie is 257 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.6%.

1881 census count

98

Ranked #19,999

Modern count

127

2016, ranked #26,566

Peak year

2010

257 bearers

Map years

5

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kenzie had 98 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,999 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 127 in 2016, ranked #26,566.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 239 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Kenzie surname distribution map

The map shows where the Kenzie surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Kenzie surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kenzie over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 89 #18,446
1861 historical 114 #19,011
1881 historical 98 #19,999
1891 historical 239 #13,173
1901 historical 197 #15,272
1911 historical 196 #15,150
1997 modern 93 #27,932
1998 modern 98 #27,923
1999 modern 98 #28,050
2000 modern 84 #29,706
2001 modern 81 #29,828
2002 modern 84 #29,982
2003 modern 89 #29,380
2004 modern 83 #30,352
2005 modern 73 #31,616
2006 modern 73 #31,954
2007 modern 78 #31,748
2008 modern 81 #31,713
2009 modern 94 #30,538
2010 modern 257 #16,476
2011 modern 133 #25,177
2012 modern 128 #25,852
2013 modern 127 #26,452
2014 modern 129 #26,352
2015 modern 123 #27,088
2016 modern 127 #26,566

Geography

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Where Kenzies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rowley Regis, London parishes, Beckenham, Melbourn, Meldreth and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Cambridgeshire, Stroud, Kensington and Chelsea and Bedford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Rowley Regis Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Beckenham Kent
4 Melbourn, Meldreth Hertfordshire
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Cambridgeshire 018 South Cambridgeshire
2 Stroud 013 Stroud
3 Kensington and Chelsea 007 Kensington and Chelsea
4 Bedford 006 Bedford
5 South Cambridgeshire 016 South Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kenzie

These lists show first names that appear often with the Kenzie surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kenzie

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kenzie, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Kenzie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Kenzie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Kenzie is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kenzie is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kenzie falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kenzie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Kenzie, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kenzie

The surname Kenzie has its origins in Scotland, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is a variant of the surname Mackenzie, which is derived from the Gaelic name "MacCoinnich," meaning "son of the handsome or bright one." The Mackenzies were a powerful clan in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the county of Ross-shire.

One of the earliest known references to the name Kenzie appears in the "Register of the Privy Council of Scotland" in 1584, where it is spelled "Kynzie." This document mentions a legal dispute involving a person named John Kynzie. In the same century, the name is also found in the "Records of the Presbytery of Inverness and Dingwall," where it is spelled "Kenzie."

The Kenzie surname is closely associated with the Scottish town of Kintail, which was once a stronghold of the Mackenzie clan. The town's name is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "Cinn" (head) and "tàil" (beach), referring to its geographical location at the head of a sea loch.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kenzie was Sir George Mackenzie of Tarbat, 1st Earl of Cromartie (1630-1714), a Scottish lawyer and statesman. In the 17th century, another notable person was Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820), a Scottish explorer who became the first European to cross the North American continent from coast to coast.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Henry Mackenzie (1745-1831), a Scottish novelist and playwright known for his work "The Man of Feeling." The 19th century saw the rise of William Lyon Mackenzie (1795-1861), a Scottish-born Canadian political reformer and leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Kenzie in more recent history was Meryl Streep's character, Karen Silkwood, in the 1983 film "Silkwood." Karen Silkwood was a real-life nuclear plant worker and labor union activist who investigated safety issues at the plant where she worked.

Throughout history, the surname Kenzie and its variations have been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from lawyers and politicians to explorers and activists, all with ties to the Scottish heritage and the Mackenzie clan.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kenzie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kenzie surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Cambridgeshire leads with 35 Kenzies recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.58x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 35 61.58x
Lancashire 13 1.22x
Staffordshire 10 3.30x
Surrey 7 1.60x
Kent 6 1.96x
Worcestershire 6 5.12x
Durham 3 1.12x
Gloucestershire 3 1.70x
Middlesex 3 0.33x
Essex 2 1.13x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.84x
Channel Islands 1 3.76x
Glamorgan 1 0.64x
Lanarkshire 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Foulmire in Cambridgeshire leads with 26 Kenzies recorded in 1881 and an index of 15294.12x.

Place Total Index
Foulmire 26 15294.12x
Rowley Regis 10 118.48x
Bury 7 57.57x
Battersea 6 18.17x
Northfield 6 270.27x
Melbourn 5 909.09x
Radcliffe 5 97.47x
Beckenham 4 100.00x
Meldreth 4 1818.18x
Bristol St Paul In 3 63.97x
Hutton Henry 3 535.71x
West Ham 2 5.11x
Barony 1 1.36x
Cardiff St John 1 19.61x
Farnham 1 29.41x
Hampstead London 1 7.15x
Liverpool 1 1.55x
Minster In Sheppey 1 19.72x
Paddington London 1 3.03x
St Helier 1 11.55x
St Martin In Fields 1 18.62x
Stony Stratford East 1 454.55x
Strood 1 57.14x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Kenzie surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 9
Sarah 4
Emma 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Harriet 2
MAC 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Bessie 1
Cathrine 1
Charlotte 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Harriett 1
Jane 1
Joseph 1
Julia 1
Leoni 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Rose 1
Susanna 1
Voilet 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Kenzie surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 7
George 6
William 6
Thomas 4
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Edward 2
Frank 2
James 2
Robert 2
Albert 1
Earnest 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Kenneth 1
Lawrence 1
MC 1
Michael 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Kenzie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kenzie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 98 people were recorded with the Kenzie surname. That placed it at #19,999 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kenzie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 127 in 2016. That gives Kenzie a modern rank of #26,566.

What does the Kenzie surname mean?

An Anglicized form of the Scottish surname Mac Kenzie meaning "son of the fair, bright one."

What does the Kenzie map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Kenzie bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.