and recreated for the "Millennium Gathering". The society currently sells this tartan. Origin of the name The surname Mackenzie is of Scottish origin and derived from Gaelic. The name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Coinnich, which is a patronymic form of the personal name Coinneach meaning "comely" or "handsome".Kenneth Name Meaning and History Retrieved on 2008-03-16 (the website cites: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ). Today personal name Coinneach is generally Anglicised as Kenneth however Kenneth was originally used as an Anglicisation of different Gaelic personal name – Cionaodh. The Anglicised Mackenzie had originally been pronounced "Mackaingye" – with a modern English Y sound represented with the letter yogh . In the 18th century it became popular to write and pronounce the name with what is the equivalent of a modern English Z sound, because of the similarity of the letter yogh and letter Z. There are Lowland Scots words and Scottish names that have been affected in a similar way (example: the surname Menzies). In fiction Fictional Mackenzies appear in the Outlander series of books by Diana Gabaldon. The Seat of the Clan Mackenzie, Castle Leod is widely considered to be the inspiration behind Castle Leoch, the home of the Clan Mackenzie, in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. It was considered as a filming location for the TV series, however, Doune Castle was selected due to its ease of location. Diana Gabaldon told STV that "When the TV show began scouting locations, I suggested Leod as a possibility. It's entirely accurate as to period, of course, and has magnificent grounds, with a park of enormous, exotic trees planted by centuries of MacKenzies and their visitors. (Diana herself planted a "very modest" rowan, as her "own wee contribution" to the history). In the Emberverse series by S.M. Stirling, otherwise known as the 'Change' world, the founder of the Clan Mackenzie, Juniper Mackenzie, is descended from this Scottish clan. Notes A Although the Mackenzies of Hilton are the senior cadets of the clan because they descend from the second eldest son of the first proven chief Alexander Mackenzie, 6th of Kintail, the Mackenzies of Gairloch who descend from the third eldest son became guardians of Kenneth Mackenzie, 8th of Kintail because the first Mackenzie of Hilton had pre-deceased his elder brother, Kenneth Mackenzie, 7th of Kintail. References Bibliography Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Iain. The Highland Clans''.