Find out how popular the last name McKen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McKen.

McKen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McKen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKen in America

McKen is the 126765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKen surname appeared 135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McKen.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McKen

The surname MCKEN is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname MacIain, meaning "son of Iain" or "son of John." This name can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands in the 12th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the MCKEN surname appear in the Scottish charter records of the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Notable examples include Dungal MacChen, who witnessed a charter in Moray in 1204, and Gillecrist MacKen, who is mentioned in the Book of Deer, an illuminated manuscript from around 1200.

Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as McKen, McKenn, McKenne, and McKennie emerging in different regions of Scotland. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the Anglicization of Gaelic names during the late medieval and early modern periods.

The MCKEN surname is closely associated with the Scottish clan system, particularly the Clan MacKenzie. Historically, the MacKenzies were a powerful clan in the Highlands, based in Ross-shire and the Isle of Lewis. Several notable figures with the MCKEN surname have been linked to this clan, including Kenneth McKenzie (1635-1688), a Scottish writer and historian, and Sir Alexander McKenzie (1767-1820), a Canadian explorer and fur trader.

Another significant figure with the MCKEN surname was William McKen (1790-1865), a Scottish-born American educator and Presbyterian minister. He served as the first president of Miami University in Ohio and played a crucial role in the development of higher education in the state.

Other notable individuals with the MCKEN surname include Sir James McKen (1858-1933), a Scottish businessman and politician who served as Lord Provost of Glasgow, and John McKen (1915-1979), a Scottish artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings.

While the MCKEN surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, primarily through Scottish migration and settlement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McKen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McKen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McKen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McKen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McKen, please contact us.

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