2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mckinnish
A Scottish surname derived from a patronymic meaning 'son of the modest or self-restrained one'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Mckinnish. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckinnish 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.
Bearers in the US
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Mckinnish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinnish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckinnish
The surname MCKINNISH is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic name "Mac Ionmhuinn," which means "son of the beloved one." The name was initially concentrated in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, particularly in the areas of Argyll and the Hebrides.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MCKINNISH appears in the Argyll Sasines (land records) from 1623, where a Donald McKinnish is mentioned as a landowner in the parish of Kilmartin. The name is also found in various parish records and court documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, often with alternative spellings such as McKinniche, McKinnish, and McKinish.
In the 19th century, the name MCKINNISH became more widespread as families migrated from the Scottish Highlands to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Angus MCKINNISH (1805-1879), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, in the 1830s.
2. John MCKINNISH (1851-1927), a Scottish-born journalist and editor who worked for several newspapers in the United States, including the New York Tribune.
3. Margaret MCKINNISH (1870-1938), a Scottish suffragist and campaigner for women's rights, who was active in the Women's Social and Political Union.
4. William MCKINNISH (1889-1967), a Scottish-born artist and sculptor who is best known for his public monuments and war memorials in the United Kingdom and Canada.
5. Iain MCKINNISH (1929-2006), a Scottish poet and writer who published several collections of poetry and short stories, often exploring themes of Highland culture and identity.
While the MCKINNISH surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Scottish emigration and settlement in countries like Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckinnish
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinnish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckinnish 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 Mckinnish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 94
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckinnish
Mckinnish 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-8 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,535 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-23 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 14,535 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -23 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 19,677 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 Mckinnish 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 | #135,593 | #155,270 | -14.5% |
| Count | 124 | 101 | -18.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckinnish bearers went from 124 to 101 (-18.5% change). The surname moved down 19,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #155,270.
FAQ
Mckinnish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckinnish?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Mckinnish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Mckinnish?
Mckinnish ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Mckinnish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mckinnish.
Has Mckinnish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckinnish went from 124 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 23 (-18.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckinnish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckinnish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Mckinnish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckinnish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Mckinnish (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 Mckinnish mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a patronymic meaning 'son of the modest or self-restrained one'. 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 Mckinnish (0.03 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 Mckinnish?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.