McKenna
An Irish surname meaning “son of Kenneth” or “son of Cionaodh,” from a Gaelic personal name.
The #1,284 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,312 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McKenna is an Anglicized Gaelic surname built on Mac, meaning “son of,” plus a personal name rendered in English as Kenneth or, in Irish form, Cionaodh. Older surname writers often treated it as a branch of the wider Mac Kinnon / Mac Kenneth name-group, and some connected it specifically with Kenneth/Cen(n)eth. In practice, the name is usually explained as patronymic and Irish in strongest association, especially in Ulster.
History
The surname is especially associated with Ulster, where it is long established among Irish families. Historical Irish surname studies list McKenna among the more common Irish names in the region, and modern bearers remain numerous in Ireland and the Irish diaspora. Earlier sources sometimes give overlapping or uncertain explanations for similar Mac- names, so the exact underlying personal name is not always handled consistently in 19th-century scholarship.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries sometimes grouped McKenna with other Mac- names that looked similar, which is why early explanations can be a bit messy.
From the historical record
“Edinburgh, 1829. MAC KENNAN. MACKENNA. KENNA. Known corruptions of Mackin- non in Ulster. MACKENZIE. 'The son of Keneth."”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom