NameRealm
Mac

Mac: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“son”
Origin
Scottish Gaelic
Say it
MAK · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys

Mac is the Gaelic patronymic prefix meaning son, common in Scottish and Irish surnames. It is also used on its own as a short given name or nickname, often for Malcolm or Mackenzie.

Scottish namesIrish namesShort namesSurname-style names

How popular is Mac?

2024116 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Mac in 2024387

2024 rank#695 boys

Peak year1942

Total US babies since 188011,058

Mac is rising: use over the last five years is 3.0× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Mac

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Loganlittle hollow · Scottish Gaelic
  • Cameroncrooked nose · Scottish Gaelic
  • IanGod is gracious · Scottish Gaelic
  • Carsonson of Carr · Scottish Gaelic
  • Callumdove · Scottish Gaelic
  • MaxwellMack's stream · Scottish Gaelic
  • Dallasmeadow dwelling · Scottish Gaelic
  • Kennethborn of fire · Scottish Gaelic

Mac questions

What does the name Mac mean?

Mac means "son". It comes from Scottish Gaelic. Mac is the Gaelic patronymic prefix meaning son, common in Scottish and Irish surnames. It is also used on its own as a short given name or nickname, often for Malcolm or Mackenzie.

Is Mac a boy or girl name?

Mac is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Mac?

387 US babies were named Mac in 2024. Its peak year was 1942.

How do you pronounce Mac?

Mac is usually pronounced MAK.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.