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

McKenna, 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 McKenna surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKenna in America

McKenna is the 1284th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKenna surname appeared 27,293 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname McKenna.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKenna 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 McKenna

The surname McKenna is of Irish origin, with its roots dating back to the 12th century in County Monaghan, Ireland. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Mac Cionnaith," which translates to "son of Cionnaith," with Cionnaith being an old Irish personal name meaning "son of the ancients" or "son of the wisdom."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McKenna can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written by monks in the 15th century. This document mentions a man named Gilla-na-naemh Mac Cionnaith, who was a prominent figure in County Monaghan during the 13th century.

The McKenna surname is also linked to several place names in Ireland, such as Ballymackennan and Mackenny, which are derived from the Gaelic "Baile Mhic Cionnaith," meaning "the town of the son of Cionnaith." These place names further solidify the surname's connection to County Monaghan and the surrounding areas.

Notable historical figures bearing the McKenna surname include Sir Joseph Neale McKenna (1843-1919), a British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Justice of Appeal and a member of the Privy Council. Another prominent individual was Joseph McKenna (1843-1926), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd United States Attorney General from 1897 to 1898.

In the literary realm, Reginald McKenna (1863-1943) was an English writer and politician who served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer during the early 20th century. Additionally, Joseph McKenna (1880-1965) was an Irish playwright and novelist known for his works depicting life in rural Ireland.

The McKenna surname has also been associated with several notable figures in the field of sports, including John McKenna (1855-1936), an Irish-American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in the late 19th century, and James McKenna (1907-1988), an American football player and coach who played for the Chicago Bears and later served as head coach for the Detroit Lions.

While the McKenna surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread across the globe, with many descendants of the original Irish bearers now found in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKenna

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

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 McKenna 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 McKenna 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 McKenna was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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