Mack
Mack was the 463rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 668 babies. Its best year was 1900, when it ranked 96th; the most babies were born in 1942 (840). Over the last ten years it has moved up 199 places. More babies were named Mack in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Scottish Gaelic, Irish, English
Say it MAK /mæk/
- Rank in 2025
- #463 boys, up 42 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 668boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1942840 babies
- Total since 1880
- 42,900babies recorded
What does the name Mack mean?
Mack has several sources. Harrison (1918) treats it as an abbreviation of one of the many Scottish and Irish Mac- surnames, where mac means "son". Wiktionary also records it as a pet form of Max and as an informal term of address. As a modern boy's name it is often simply a short, friendly name, so no single meaning applies.
mac (Gaelic, “son”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several unrelated sources.
Related names: Max, Mac, Mackenzie.
See also: Scottish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mack', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'MACK', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Mack popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 180 since 1915.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #463 | 668 |
| 2020 | #505 | 579 |
| 2010 | #1,064 | 181 |
| 2000 | #1,367 | 93 |
| 1990 | #1,022 | 108 |
| 1980 | #717 | 148 |
| 1970 | #572 | 199 |
| 1960 | #447 | 326 |
| 1950 | #310 | 484 |
| 1940 | #260 | 458 |
| 1930 | #249 | 505 |
| 1920 | #236 | 533 |
| 1910 | #150 | 213 |
| 1900 | #96 | 250 |
| 1890 | #129 | 114 |
| 1880 | #125 | 104 |
How popular is Mack, counting every spelling?
Mack is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #327 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #463 for Mack on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,070 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mack | 668 | #463 | 3,051 |
| Mac | 390 | #696 | 2,062 |
| Mak | 12 | #7,050 | 67 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Mack?
668 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mack (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Mack born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 13 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mack.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mack?
About 19,700 people born in the US named Mack are alive today, with a median age of 44; half are between 10 and 70. That makes Mack mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Mack by state
How common Mack was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (4.2×), Minnesota (3.0×), Nebraska (2.9×), New Hampshire (2.7×), Iowa (2.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Virginia, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Mack: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mack, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mack · Sibling names for Mack
Mack is also a nickname for Macklin.
Questions about the name Mack
What does Mack mean?
The origin of Mack is uncertain: several unrelated sources.
How popular is the name Mack?
Mack was the 463rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 668 babies. Its best year was 1900, when it ranked 96th; the most babies were born in 1942 (840). Over the last ten years it has moved up 199 places. More babies were named Mack in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Mack a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Mack in the US.
Where is Mack most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mack was most common in Utah (1.49 per 1,000 boys), followed by Minnesota and Nebraska.