Mckennan
Of Irish origin, a masculine name meaning "son of the young bearer".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Mckennan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mckennan today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mckennan births was 1999 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mckennan. 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 Mckennan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1999
5 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2008 SSA rank
#13,904
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Mckennan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mckennan from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mckennan 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 Mckennan 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 Mckennan
The name Mckennan has its roots in the Scottish Gaelic language. It is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century in the Scottish Highlands. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "eannan" which translates to "young person" or "youth."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mckennan can be found in the parish records of Glenorchy, Argyll, Scotland, dating back to the late 1600s. It was initially used as a surname or clan name among the Highland families of that region.
While the name does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it does carry a connection to the rich cultural heritage of the Scottish Highlands. The prefix "mac" was commonly used in traditional Scottish naming conventions to indicate a person's patrilineal descent.
Notable individuals throughout history who have borne the first name Mckennan include:
1. Mckennan MacLeod (1785-1862), a Scottish poet and Gaelic scholar from the Isle of Skye.
2. Mckennan Campbell (1820-1891), a Scottish immigrant to Canada who became a prominent figure in the Red River Rebellion of 1869-1870.
3. Mckennan Ross (1862-1924), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Western Australia.
4. Mckennan Douglas (1887-1952), a Scottish-American artist known for his landscapes and portraits of Native Americans.
5. Mckennan Mackenzie (1910-1998), a Canadian writer and journalist who gained recognition for his coverage of World War II and the Korean War.
While the name Mckennan may not be as widely used today, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Scotland and the enduring influence of Gaelic naming traditions.
People
Mckennan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mckennan 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
Mckennan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mckennan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mckennan 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Mckennan a common name?
We classify Mckennan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mckennan most popular?
The single biggest year for Mckennan was 1999, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mckennan is about 22 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 Mckennan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mckennan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mckennan 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 Mckennan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mckennan 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 Mckennan 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 are called Mckennan?
Want to know how many people have the name Mckennan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.