Mckinly
Of Scottish origin, meaning a dweller at the fair or handsome ridge.
Name Census estimates that about 30 living Americans carry the first name Mckinly. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 85.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Mckinly today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mckinly births was 2012 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mckinly. 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 Mckinly. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
30
~ 1 in 11,425,145 Americans
Peak year
2012
8 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
1919 SSA rank
#4,576
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Mckinly
Mckinly leans heavily female at 85.7% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mckinly as a male name
- Ranked #4,576 in 1919
- 5 male births in 1919
- Peak: 1919 (5 births)
Mckinly as a female name
- Ranked #13,032 in 2012
- 8 female births in 2012
- Peak: 2012 (8 births)
Popularity
Mckinly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mckinly from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 17 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Mckinly remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mckinly 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 Mckinly 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 Mckinly
The given name Mckinly is a modern variant of the Scottish surname McKinley, which is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Findlagh" or "Fionnlagh." This name is composed of two elements: "fionn" meaning "fair" or "white," and "lagh" meaning "warrior" or "hero." The name can be interpreted as "fair warrior" or "bright hero."
The surname McKinley originated in the Scottish Highlands and was first recorded in the 13th century. It was a common name among the clans of the western Highlands and the Hebrides Islands. The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" is a Gaelic patronymic, meaning "son of," indicating that the name was originally a descriptive byname or nickname passed down from father to son.
While the name Mckinly itself does not appear to have any significant historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the name McKinley has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous bearers of the name was William McKinley (1843-1901), the 25th President of the United States, who served from 1897 until his assassination in 1901.
Another notable figure with the name was James McKinley (1809-1887), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama. In the field of literature, Allan McKinley (1901-1973) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer known for his works set in the Canadian wilderness.
In the realm of sports, Brian McKinley (born 1957) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for teams such as the Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings. Additionally, John McKinley (1912-1995) was an American professional baseball player who played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for teams like the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians.
While these are just a few examples, the name Mckinly and its variations have been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and versatility of this Scottish name.
People
Mckinly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mckinly 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
Mckinly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mckinly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 30 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mckinly 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 11,425,145 US residents.
Is Mckinly a common name?
We classify Mckinly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 35 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mckinly most popular?
The single biggest year for Mckinly was 2012, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mckinly is about 17 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 Mckinly in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mckinly a female name?
Yes, 85.7% of people registered as Mckinly 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.
Is Mckinly still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mckinly 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 Mckinly 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 Americans are named Mckinly?
Want to know how many people have the name Mckinly? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.