Show ContentsMcKinzie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

McKinzie Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of McKinzie

What does the name McKinzie mean?

On the Scottish west coast, the McKinzie family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the personal name Coinneach. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Coinnich or Mac Choinnich, both of which mean son of Coinneach. However, In Adamnan, the Gaelic form of the name is Cainnechus, which is derived from the word cann, meaning fair or bright; thus, the surname is of the 'nickname' variety in this case.

McKinzie Coat of Arms Creation

The Mackenzies have a deer's head for their crest, and the Gaelic motto, " Cuidich an Righ " (Help the King), alleged to have been given under the following circumstances:

The founder of the family, Colin Fitzgerald, who was reputed to be an Irish adventurer, was, in 1265, with his sovereign, Alexander III., hunting in the forest of Mar, when a stag, pursued by the hounds, made straight for the King. The brave Colin interposed his own person between His Majesty and the infuriated animal, shot the stag in the forehead, and in gratitude he was granted the right to use as his armorial bearings a stag's head bleeding where the arrow pierced it, with two greyhounds as supporters.

The incident of the hunt was painted by B. West for the last of the Seaforths. The artist received £800 for the noble picture, which is still preserved in Brahan Castle.

According to Nisbet their crest was a sun in its splendour, and the motto, " Luceo non uro " (I shine but I do not burn), which motto is now on the beautiful old furniture in Brahan Castle; but neither the above crest nor motto is shown in Burke's Peerage. 1

Early Origins of the McKinzie family

The surname McKinzie was first found in Ross-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rois) a former county, now part of the Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles in Northern Scotland, which emerged from the Gaelic lordship of the Earl of Ross, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the McKinzie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McKinzie research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1278, 1561, 1568, 1569, 1594, 1611, 1630, 1635, 1636, 1651, 1662, 1677, 1678, 1688, 1691, 1714, 1715, 1771 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McKinzie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McKinzie Spelling Variations

In various documents McKinzie has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. MacKenzie, McKenzie, Kennethson, Kenneth, Kennieson, MacCoinnich (Gaelic), MacWhinnie, MacWhinny, MacWhinney and many more.

Early Notables of the McKinzie family

John Mackenzie (died c. 1561), or "John of Killin", traditionally reckoned 9th of Kintail, a Highland chief; Kenneth Mackenzie (died 1568), 10th of Kintail and nicknamed Coinneach na Cuirc (or "Kenneth of the Whittle"), a Highland chief; Colin Mackenzie of Kintail (died 1594), nicknamed "Cam" ("crooked", because one-eyed), a Highland chief; Kenneth Mackenzie, the first Lord Mackenzie of Kintail (c.1569-1611), a Highland Clan chief; George Mackenzie, 2nd Earl of Seaforth (died 1651)...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McKinzie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McKinzie Ranking

the United States, the name McKinzie is the 7,524th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the McKinzie family to Ireland

Some of the McKinzie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McKinzie migration to the United States +

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

McKinzie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James McKinzie, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 3
  • George McKinzie, who landed in New York in 1840 3
  • Alexander McKinzie, who landed in Arkansas in 1860 3
  • Angus McKinzie, who arrived in Arkansas in 1890 3
  • William G McKinzie, who landed in Arkansas in 1892 3

McKinzie migration to Canada +

McKinzie Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Donald McKinzie U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 4

Contemporary Notables of the name McKinzie (post 1700) +

  • Edith Kawelohea Kapule McKinzie (1925-2014), American genealogist, educator, author, and expert in hula and chant
  • Richard H. McKinzie, U.S. Navy hospital corpsman, eponym of the McKinzie Islands, Antarctica
  • Ralph Clyde "Mac" McKinzie (1894-1990), American football, basketball, and baseball coach

McKinzie Motto and War Cry +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Luceo non uro
Motto Translation: I shine not burn.
War Cry: "Tullaich Ard."
  1. Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X

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