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

McKinney, 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 McKinney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKinney in America

McKinney is the 377th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKinney surname appeared 83,616 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname McKinney.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKinney 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 McKinney

The surname McKinney is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic "Mac Ionmhuinn" which means "son of the beloved one". Its roots can be traced back to the 12th century in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles of Scotland.

The name is believed to have emerged from a personal name or nickname given to an individual who was particularly beloved or dear within their community. Over time, this personal name became a hereditary surname passed down through generations.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Finlay McKynny" is listed among the individuals from the county of Argyll.

In the 16th century, the McKinney family held lands in the parish of Kilfinnan, Argyllshire. A notable figure from this era was Duncan McKinney, who was appointed as the Bishop of Argyll in 1551.

During the 17th century, the name spread beyond Scotland as many McKinneys migrated to Ulster, Ireland, as part of the Plantation of Ulster. One of the earliest recorded McKinneys in Ireland was John McKinney, who was born in County Antrim in 1635.

As the name dispersed across Scotland, Ireland, and eventually to other parts of the world, various spellings emerged, including McKinnie, McKenney, and McKenny. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Thomas L. McKenney (1785-1859), an American politician and author who served as the Superintendent of Indian Trade and famously commissioned portraits of notable Native American leaders.

Other notable individuals with the surname McKinney include:

1. William McKinney (1795-1871), an Irish-born American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia.
2. William Magee McKinney (1856-1926), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
3. Ida McKinney (1886-1967), an American actress and singer who was a popular performer in the Harlem Renaissance era.
4. Robert McKinney (1910-1987), an American jurist who served as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana.
5. Cynthia McKinney (born 1955), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia and was a prominent figure in the Green Party.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKinney

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!