McKenney
An Irish and Scottish surname form related to MacKenna and McKinney, ultimately meaning “son of Kenneth” or a close variant of that Gaelic family name.
The #4,852 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,498 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McKenney is an Anglicized surname form built on the Gaelic prefix Mac/Mc, meaning “son of,” plus a personal name tradition related to Kenneth or to the Irish Gaelic name Cionaodh/Cionnaith. In practice, surnames like McKenney, McKenna, and McKinney were often used interchangeably or developed as local spelling variants of related Gaelic family names. The ending reflects English spelling practices rather than a separate meaning of its own.
History
Nineteenth-century surname lists place McKenney among a cluster of closely related McK- names, suggesting it was treated as a variant rather than a sharply distinct surname. In English-speaking records, spellings often shifted by clerk, place, and family branch, which helps explain forms such as McKenna, McKenny, and McKinney appearing side by side. The name is most strongly associated with Ireland, though it also appears in Scottish and North American records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older reference works often grouped McKenney with McKenna and McKinney in the same name cluster, showing how fluid Gaelic surname spellings could be in the 1800s.
From the historical record
“MacTntyre, . MacKenna, . MacKenney, MaoKenny, . MacKeogh, . MacKeon, MacKiernan, MacLennon,”
— Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (numerical strength, derivation, distribution)