The McKean surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,314 people carried this name — #6,402 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 55,600 people counted. That is up 8% from 4,913 in 2000.

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In Scotland’s registers today

McKean was recorded 32 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 769th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 39. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

37 families named McKean, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 230 people lived in those households, 6.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New Hampshire 11
Pennsylvania 9
Maine 4
North Carolina 4
Massachusetts 2
New York 2
Vermont 1
Connecticut 1
Maryland 1
Virginia 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 252 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McKean in American newspapers,
1872–1913.

Newspaper page from The Day Book carrying the name McKean
The Day Book 1913-02-06
Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name McKean
The Evening World 1895-05-22
Newspaper page from Tama County Republican carrying the name McKean
Tama County Republican 1872-07-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 63,022 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McKean in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

18,680 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McKean. The most, 7,699, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,206
Victoria 6,072
Queensland 3,735
South Australia 977
Western Australia 868
Tasmania 617
ACT (Canberra) 173
Northern Territory 12

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McKean.

Who carried it

People named McKean,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas McKean
    Thomas McKean 1734–1817 · governor
  • Olive McKean
    Olive McKean 1915–2006 · swimmer
  • Samuel McKean
    Samuel McKean 1787–1841 · politician
  • Joy McKean 1930–2023 · songwriter
  • Steve McKean 1940–2021 · basketball player
  • Henry McKean 1930–2024 · university teacher

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McKean,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States945 records

945 records of the McKean name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 242
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 201
  • Other U.S. records 502
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph C. McKean

    Born 1906 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; credit man from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1972, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Guy Edwin McKean

    Born 1931; from Albuquerque, New Mexico. U.S. Army, o-1/u-6 airplane repairman; died of illness 1969 in Binh Thuan, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John M. McKean

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the State of Nebraska from Glasgow and Moville, aged 43; agent. From Glasgow, Scotland; bound for Connecticut.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 945 records for McKean in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia618 records

618 records of the McKean name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 306
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 131
  • Other Australian records 181
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Janet McKean

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Navarino, sailing from London in 1840. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Agnes McKean

    Arrived in Victoria in 1859 aboard the Greyhound, aged 26; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Norman L. McKean

    Merchant of Mooroopna, Victoria; died 1944.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 618 records for McKean in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada151 records

151 records of the McKean name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 129
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 9
  • Other Canadian records 13
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jane McKean

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Texas, bound for Chatsworth, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert McKean

    Buried in 1982 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 79.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Magdaline D. McKean

    Died 1943 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 151 records for McKean in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom19 records

19 records of the McKean name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 14
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John McKean

    Buried in 1892 at Mar Place Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 39.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. McKean

    Gordon Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary McKean

    Died 1917, aged 79; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 19 records for McKean in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the McKean name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Arthur McKean

    Died 1995, aged 71; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McKean.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McKean is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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