Mckena
A modern feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning, perhaps derived from "Kenneth".
Name Census estimates that about 403 living Americans carry the first name Mckena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mckena today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mckena births was 1996 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mckena. 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.
People living today
403
~ 1 in 850,507 Americans
Peak year
1996
26 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2019 SSA rank
#14,961
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Mckena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mckena from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 199 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Mckena remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mckena 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 Mckena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mckena
The name Mckena has its origins in Scotland, where it is a variant spelling of the Scottish Gaelic name Mackenna. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "cionaith" meaning "fair" or "handsome". The name thus means "son of the fair one" or "son of the handsome one".
This name first appeared in historical records in the 12th century, during the Middle Ages in Scotland. It was a personal name commonly used by Scottish clans and families, particularly in the Highlands region. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Gillebride Mackennan, who was a witness to a charter granted by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1189.
In the 16th century, the name Mckena gained some prominence when it was borne by Sir John Mckenna, a Scottish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513. Another notable bearer of the name was Mckena of the Isles, a 16th-century Scottish chieftain and leader of the Clan Donald.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Mckena was carried by several Irish families, likely due to the migration of Scottish settlers to Ireland. One notable bearer was Mckena O'Reilly, an Irish soldier who fought in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
In the 19th century, the name Mckena appeared in several literary works, including the novel "Rob Roy" by Sir Walter Scott, where a character named Mckena MacGregor was featured. Another literary reference was in the novel "The Master of Ballantrae" by Robert Louis Stevenson, which had a character named Mckena Durie.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Mckena, including:
1. Mckena of the Isles (c. 1500-1560), a Scottish chieftain and leader of the Clan Donald.
2. Sir John Mckenna (c. 1485-1513), a Scottish nobleman and military commander.
3. Mckena O'Reilly (c. 1670-1710), an Irish soldier who fought in the Battle of the Boyne.
4. Mckena MacGregor (fictional character), featured in the novel "Rob Roy" by Sir Walter Scott.
5. Mckena Durie (fictional character), featured in the novel "The Master of Ballantrae" by Robert Louis Stevenson.
People
Mckena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mckena 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
Mckena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mckena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 403 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mckena 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 850,507 US residents.
Is Mckena a common name?
We classify Mckena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 411 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mckena most popular?
The single biggest year for Mckena was 1996, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mckena is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mckena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mckena in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.