Mcconnell
A masculine Scottish name derived from the Gaelic elements "mac" (son) and "Conghail" (comely or youthful).
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Mcconnell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mcconnell today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mcconnell births was 2014 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mcconnell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mcconnell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2014
5 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2014 SSA rank
#13,362
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Mcconnell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mcconnell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mcconnell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mcconnell
The name Mcconnell has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Cuinnealach" which was an ancient Celtic personal name. The name Cuinnealach itself is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "cuinneog" meaning "milk pail" or "churn."
The earliest recorded use of the name Mcconnell dates back to the 12th century in Scotland. It was originally a patronymic name, meaning it identified someone as the son of a person named Cuinnealach. Over time, the name evolved into a hereditary surname that was passed down through generations.
In ancient Scottish history, the Mcconnell clan was based in the region of Argyll and the Hebrides islands. They were a prominent clan in the Western Isles and were considered a branch of the powerful Clan Donald.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mcconnell was Sir John Mcconnell, a Scottish knight who lived in the 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Randal Mcconnell (c. 1550-1635), a Scottish colonist who helped establish the first British settlement in North America at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.
In the 17th century, James Mcconnell (1615-1675) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation. He was known for his influential sermons and writings defending Presbyterian principles.
During the American Revolutionary War, Samuel Mcconnell (1744-1828) was a Scottish-born soldier who fought on the side of the Continental Army against the British. He later became a prominent judge and politician in Pennsylvania.
In more recent history, Sir Winston Churchill's mother, Jennie Jerome, was born Jennie Mcconnell in 1854. She was the daughter of a wealthy American businessman, Leonard Mcconnell, and later married Lord Randolph Churchill, giving birth to the future British Prime Minister.
People
Mcconnell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mcconnell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mcconnell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mcconnell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mcconnell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Mcconnell a common name?
We classify Mcconnell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mcconnell most popular?
The single biggest year for Mcconnell was 2014, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mcconnell is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mcconnell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mcconnell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mcconnell in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mcconnell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mcconnell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mcconnell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Mcconnell?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Mcconnell, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.