Mac
From the Gaelic mac, meaning son, the element that opens many Scottish and Irish surnames. It serves as a short form of names like Mackenzie and Macallister.
Mac in 2025
Mac was given to 395 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,389th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 8,393 babies born.
The history of Mac
Mac reached its highest point in 2022, when 470 babies were given the name, ranking 1,232nd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 657th, in 1942.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 11,455 babies have been named Mac. Half of them were born before 1977, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation X.
Mac by decade
| Decade | Babies named Mac | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 45 | 1,408 |
| 1890s | 53 | 1,586 |
| 1900s | 128 | 1,236 |
| 1910s | 504 | 1,466 |
| 1920s | 686 | 1,486 |
| 1930s | 750 | 1,316 |
| 1940s | 1,634 | 657 |
| 1950s | 929 | 1,377 |
| 1960s | 541 | 2,075 |
| 1970s | 647 | 1,874 |
| 1980s | 383 | 3,069 |
| 1990s | 431 | 4,147 |
| 2000s | 710 | 3,621 |
| 2010s | 1,691 | 1,874 |
| 2020s | 2,323 | 1,232 |
Where Mac is heading
Mac has risen 123% over the past decade, from 177 babies in 2015 to 395 in 2025.
Names like Mac
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Mac.