2000
#1,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.57
Uncommon Last name
Mckinley
A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Fhionnlaigh," meaning "son of Fionnlagh" (fair hero).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,391 Americans carry the last name Mckinley. That puts it at #1,513 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckinley surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mckinley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 12,988
Census rank
#1,513
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,014 bearers of the surname Mckinley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1513th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckinley
The surname McKinley is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "mac Fhionghaine," meaning "son of Fingan." It is a patronymic name that emerged in the Scottish Highlands during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "McKynlay" in this historical record.
In the 16th century, the name was frequently spelled as "McKinley" or "McKinlay" in various Scottish records and chronicles. It was prevalent in the regions of Argyll, Ayrshire, and Lanarkshire, where the McKinley clan had established themselves.
Notable historical figures with the surname McKinley include Sir John McKinley (1637-1718), a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the economic development of Glasgow. Another prominent individual was William McKinley (1843-1901), the 25th President of the United States, who was born in Niles, Ohio, to a family of Scottish ancestry.
In the 17th century, the name McKinley was associated with the town of Kilwinning in Ayrshire, which was once known as "McKinleyville" or "McKinley's Town." This town was renowned for its historical abbey and connections to the Knights Templar.
Other notable individuals with the surname McKinley include Reverend John McKinley (1721-1793), a Presbyterian minister and educator who founded the prestigious Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, and William McKinley Osborne (1787-1845), a Scottish-American politician and lawyer who served as a judge in Ohio.
The McKinley name has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as McKinley's Ferry in Argyll and McKinley's Loch in Ayrshire, further reinforcing the historical ties of this surname to the Scottish Highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckinley
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckinley bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mckinley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.5% · 16,449
- Black or African American19.2% · 4,419
- Two or more races4.0% · 922
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 860
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 206
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 158
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckinley
Mckinley appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,000
+876 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 8.14
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#1,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,014
-986 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 7.70
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,410 | 23,124 | 8.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,489 | 24,000 | 8.14 | +876 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #1,513 | 23,014 | 7.70 | -986 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 24 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mckinley surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,489 | #1,513 | -1.6% |
| Count | 24,000 | 23,014 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 8.14 | 7.70 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckinley bearers went from 24,000 to 23,014 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,489 to #1,513.
FAQ
Mckinley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckinley?
Name Census estimates that about 26,391 living Americans carry the surname Mckinley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,988 residents.
How common is Mckinley?
Mckinley ranks #1,513 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,014 people with the surname Mckinley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,391), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Mckinley.
Has Mckinley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckinley went from 24,000 recorded bearers to 23,014. That is a decrease of 986 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,489 to #1,513.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckinley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mckinley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.5% (16,449 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckinley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.5%), Black (19.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mckinley (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mckinley mean?
A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Fhionnlaigh," meaning "son of Fionnlagh" (fair hero). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mckinley (7.70 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Mckinley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.