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Mac as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Mac

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The baby name Mac is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /mæk/ (MAK).

Mac is Gaelic in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Gaelic
Pronunciation: /mæk/ (MAK)

What is the meaning of the name Mac ?

The baby name Mac is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /mæk/ (MAK).

Mac is Gaelic in Origin.

Mac derives from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic mac, meaning “son.” In medieval Gaelic culture it functioned as the patronymic marker attached to a father’s name (e.g., Mac Dhòmhnaill, later MacDonald/McDonald). As an independent given name in English-speaking countries, Mac surfaced in the late 19th century and saw steady, modest use through the 20th century, prized for its brisk, approachable sound and its link to Highland heritage; periodic bumps in visibility have come via musicians and athletes nicknamed Mac.

The name’s core meaning remains “son.” Common variants and spellings include Mack and Mak; the prefix forms Mac- and Mc- are ubiquitous in surnames. Mac frequently operates as a diminutive for names and surnames beginning with Mac-/Mc- (MacArthur, McCoy), for Cormac, and at times for Malcolm. Related Gaelic note: the feminine patronymic marker is Nic (“daughter of”).

Mac has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Mac

Mac Davis Musician · Born 1942 · United States Mac Davis was an American singer-songwriter and actor best known for writing major hits for Elvis Presley. Born in Texas, he wrote songs like "In the Ghetto," "A Little Less Conversation," and "Don't Cry Daddy," and later found success as a crossover performer himself.

Mac – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2024 #1 — 820
FJ Boys 0 #17 1 603
BW 0 #19 1 960
KR Boys 0 #25 3 897
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
HT Boys 0 #34 1 903
MO 0 #43 10 2,706
CM 0 #54 3 2,592
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
IN 0 #70 2 2,963
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
MV Boys 0 #78 2 3,375
PH 0 #78 19 5,607
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
QA 0 #91 10 7,011
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
TW 0 #101 3 4,523
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
BN Girls 0 #112 3 5,459
KW 0 #113 9 5,216
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
BN Boys 0 #122 12 6,332
EE Boys 0 #123 3 2,087
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
ID Boys 0 #132 4 4,130
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
BW Boys 0 #146 9 4,685
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
LT Boys 0 #150 2 2,166
AE 0 #162 16 10,220
PR Girls 0 #167 1 3,171
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
MO Boys 0 #176 48 5,842
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
Sweden Boys 2018 #185 2 1,584
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
PH Boys 0 #188 222 11,440
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
PL 0 #201 12 2,600
DK 0 #205 2 5,198
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
TW Boys 0 #214 28 7,111
LU Boys 0 #215 6 4,970
NA Boys 0 #217 19 6,830
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
GH 0 #232 12 5,396
AO Boys 0 #233 10 5,568
PL Boys 0 #233 108 6,459
MO Girls 0 #235 17 7,056
NA Girls 0 #235 3 7,146
BD 0 #236 6 5,992
NG 0 #239 26 5,926
GH Boys 0 #243 105 8,138
EC Boys 0 #244 3 3,322
JP Girls 0 #247 5 6,592
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
HR Boys 0 #253 7 3,997
SG 0 #255 15 11,010
GR Boys 0 #270 4 6,912
AF Boys 0 #272 3 3,535
Canada Boys 2024 #274 33 2,588
SA 0 #275 21 10,560
JM Girls 0 #276 3 7,507
CN Boys 0 #279 41 9,639
JP Boys 0 #279 19 7,909
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
TW Girls 0 #287 3 8,139
JM Boys 0 #289 5 6,876
CZ Boys 0 #290 15 6,530
KZ Boys 0 #293 4 6,578
QA Girls 0 #305 12 15,378
MY 0 #307 24 12,352
DK Boys 0 #325 8 7,401
PE 0 #325 5 6,350
GH Girls 0 #329 9 6,973
HK 0 #331 18 8,483
GT 0 #334 5 5,948
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
MU Boys 0 #342 16 8,477
CZ Girls 0 #350 2 5,378
PH Girls 0 #350 41 13,098
PT Boys 0 #354 14 7,951
BR 0 #357 4 5,969
CN Girls 0 #357 3 8,829
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
PL Girls 0 #362 3 5,096
NL 0 #381 11 2,481
JO Boys 0 #382 8 7,057
UY Boys 0 #387 13 5,922
HK Boys 0 #388 144 12,905
YE 0 #392 7 8,639
France Boys 2004 #393 4 2,538
MX 0 #400 14 8,339
BO 0 #401 8 6,868
ZA 0 #403 45 14,421
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
EG 0 #408 5 6,387
Finland Boys 0 #411 17 2,041
CM Boys 0 #413 142 12,054
Germany 0 #418 20 2,542
OM Girls 0 #418 7 15,987
Austria Boys 0 #421 22 2,180
CL 0 #429 6 6,867
SD Boys 0 #434 12 10,523
Spain 0 #436 17 2,326
AR Boys 0 #449 19 7,628
GT Boys 0 #449 26 7,625
CR Boys 0 #453 35 10,188
PA Boys 0 #468 14 9,305
CO 0 #469 12 7,768
PT Girls 0 #470 2 7,952
RU Boys 0 #475 31 12,621
KW Girls 0 #494 22 19,177
IQ Girls 0 #495 10 11,303
CM Girls 0 #511 30 11,671
LY 0 #516 20 12,703
PA Girls 0 #517 2 9,861
BH 0 #519 35 17,937
RU Girls 0 #519 5 11,913
AE Girls 0 #534 20 20,968
BD Boys 0 #534 43 10,045
IR Boys 0 #534 19 10,162
UY Girls 0 #535 2 6,731
PS Boys 0 #539 10 10,655
GT Girls 0 #540 2 7,500
IR Girls 0 #544 2 8,334
PS Girls 0 #545 3 10,981
United States Boys 2024 #549 387 7,044
BO Boys 0 #550 43 9,244
SG Girls 0 #557 30 18,916
CR Girls 0 #565 9 11,342
NG Boys 0 #581 450 16,906
SG Boys 0 #583 115 17,960
AR Girls 0 #589 11 8,289
HK Girls 0 #592 24 16,104
CL Boys 0 #596 70 13,390
IL Boys 0 #620 6 10,983
QA Boys 0 #625 83 18,093
IQ Boys 0 #628 40 13,071
IL Girls 0 #644 2 11,648
BO Girls 0 #650 2 9,488
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
Finland Boys 2026 #673 10 3,552
IT 0 #678 37 4,183
MY Boys 0 #682 470 25,439
LB 0 #685 6 13,263
KW Boys 0 #706 64 18,755
ZA Boys 0 #711 534 25,619
BR Boys 0 #716 36 12,213
PE Boys 0 #749 130 14,506
Germany Boys 0 #755 198 5,697
SY 0 #759 9 11,684
NG Girls 0 #761 26 15,093
TN 0 #770 60 13,765
MX Boys 0 #789 197 16,355
Spain Boys 0 #796 135 5,610
EG Boys 0 #797 90 15,035
CO Boys 0 #803 118 15,656
NL Boys 0 #820 132 5,873
Germany Girls 0 #824 15 4,949
CL Girls 0 #832 20 14,098
OM Boys 0 #844 38 17,948
SA Girls 0 #891 45 25,931
United States Girls 2023 #906 9 8,600
MY Girls 0 #918 77 24,821
Spain Girls 0 #929 55 5,561
PE Girls 0 #931 13 14,861
IN Boys 0 #936 66 16,750
NL Girls 0 #937 19 5,933
AE Boys 0 #939 154 22,615
EG Girls 0 #944 16 14,742
BR Girls 0 #990 3 12,708
DZ 0 #1,023 154 20,130
CO Girls 0 #1,047 32 16,140
MA 0 #1,050 79 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,069 73 25,928
MX Girls 0 #1,094 90 17,781
TR 0 #1,174 38 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,196 277 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,258 359 28,008
IT Girls 0 #1,415 32 9,415

Mac is popular in 88 countries — most recent births per country:

Canada
United States
Scotland, United Kingdom
Ireland
France

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Mac

Mac is predominantly a boy's name.
Mac is a one syllable name, pronounced /mæk/ (MAK).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Mack, Mc, Mak and Mac- (as a prefix).
Across languages, Mac has these equivalents: O' (Irish patronymic), Fitz (Norman), -son (English patronymic suffix), ap (Welsh), bin/ibn (Arabic), and 1 more.
Yes, very popular — Mac ranked #1 in Ireland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Mac ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2024).
Mac's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2022 to #1 in 2024 in Ireland.
Yes — 1 notable people named Mac are in our database, including Mac Davis (Musician).