2000
#353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 29.88
Uncommon Last name
Mckinney
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Cionnaoith, meaning "son of Cionaodh" (a personal name of unknown meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 92,131 Americans carry the last name Mckinney. That puts it at #391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,720 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckinney 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 Mckinney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
92K
1 in 3,720
Census rank
#391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
80K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 80,343 bearers of the surname Mckinney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckinney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckinney 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 Mckinney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 52,943
- Black or African American24.8% · 19,911
- Two or more races4.7% · 3,790
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,567
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 724
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 408
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckinney
Mckinney 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
#377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 83,616
+3,000 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 28.35
Rank movement Down 24 places
2020
#391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,343
-3,273 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 26.88
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #353 | 80,616 | 29.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #377 | 83,616 | 28.35 | +3,000 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 24 places |
| 2020 | #391 | 80,343 | 26.88 | -3,273 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 14 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 Mckinney 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 | #377 | #391 | -3.7% |
| Count | 83,616 | 80,343 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 28.35 | 26.88 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckinney bearers went from 83,616 to 80,343 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #377 to #391.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mckinney
FAQ
Mckinney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckinney?
Name Census estimates that about 92,131 living Americans carry the surname Mckinney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,720 residents.
How common is Mckinney?
Mckinney ranks #391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 27 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 80,343 people with the surname Mckinney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (92,131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 27 of them to have the surname Mckinney.
Has Mckinney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckinney went from 83,616 recorded bearers to 80,343. That is a decrease of 3,273 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #377 to #391.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckinney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mckinney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (52,943 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckinney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Black (24.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mckinney (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 Mckinney mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Cionnaoith, meaning "son of Cionaodh" (a personal name of unknown meaning). 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 Mckinney (26.88 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 Mckinney?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.