McKinney
An Irish and Scottish surname usually understood as meaning “son of Kenny” or “son of Kenneth.”
The #377 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,692 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as a patronymic formed with Mc/Mac, meaning “son of,” plus a Gaelic personal name such as Cináed, Cionnaith, or the anglicized Kenny/Kinney forms derived from them. In older surname works, McKinney is often grouped with MacKenna and related names, reflecting the way Gaelic names were rendered into English in several different spellings. The core sense is therefore “son of Kenny/Kenneth,” though the exact underlying Gaelic form can vary by family and district.
History
The name appears in Irish and Scottish records in a variety of spellings, including MacKinney, MacKenna, McKenney, and McKinney. In North America, McKinney became the standard spelling for many families, and it is now especially familiar as an Irish-American surname. The older sources also show that 19th-century writers sometimes grouped it with several neighboring Gaelic names rather loosely, so individual family lines may have different origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname’s many historical spellings reflect the fact that Gaelic names were often written down in English in more than one way before spelling became fixed.
From the historical record
“TTJaC ClOnAO-OA, TTlAC ClOTIAOlC, MacKinney, MacKinny, Mac Kenny, MacKenna, Mac Keany, Kenny, etc. TTiAC Clott1VJAT)A, ITJAC Ciot-”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames