The McKinney surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 83,616 people carried this name — #377 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 3,530 people counted. That is up 4% from 80,616 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the McKinney surname

Both senses above are derived from Pictish *ᚉᚔᚅᚔᚑᚇ. Sometimes Anglicized in Scotland as McKenzie.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McKinney» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 42 births for the McKinney name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 5 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 42

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

McKinney was recorded 17 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1299th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 40. 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

160 families named McKinney, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 898 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McKinney, McCiney, McCinney, McCinny, McHeney, McHinney, McKeney, McKenney, Mckenney, McKenny, McKiney, McKinna, McKinne, MacKinney, M'Kinney, McKinnie, McKinny, Mckinny, McKiny. 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

Pennsylvania 36
Maine 25
North Carolina 25
South Carolina 23
New York 16
Virginia 16
Maryland 9
Connecticut 7
Massachusetts 2
New Hampshire 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. 253 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McKinney in American newspapers,
1893–1926.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name McKinney
Evening Star 1926-11-14
Newspaper page from New-york Tribune carrying the name McKinney
New-york Tribune 1904-11-30
Newspaper page from The Freeman carrying the name McKinney
The Freeman 1893-07-22

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 189,735 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McKinney in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1990s.

5,575 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McKinney. The most, 1,312, 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 Queensland, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,733
Queensland 1,831
Victoria 439
South Australia 204
Western Australia 191
Tasmania 102
ACT (Canberra) 52
Northern Territory 4

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

Who carried it

People named McKinney,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Nina Mae McKinney
    Nina Mae McKinney 1912–1967 · dancer
  • Frank McKinney
    Frank McKinney 1938–1992 · swimmer
  • Louise McKinney
    Louise McKinney 1868–1931 · activist
  • Bill McKinney 1931–2011 · film actor

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

In the public record

People named McKinney,
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 States2,024 records

2,024 records of the McKinney name in the United States
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 985
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 475
  • Other U.S. records 564
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Julius E. McKinney

    Born 1927; from Clay County, Arkansas. U.S. Army, heavy weapons infantryman; declared dead 1950 in North Korea. Buried at Corinth National Cemetery, Mississippi.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John L. McKinney

    Born 1924 in Florida. Enlisted 1944 at Camp Blanding; farm hand from Sumter County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Pine Level Cemetery, Oxford, Florida.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget McKinney

    Arrived at New York in 1846 aboard the Liberty from Glasgow, aged 40; mason. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,024 records for McKinney in the United States.

Counts: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia179 records

179 records of the McKinney name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 86
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 37
  • Other Australian records 56
  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 Margaret McKinney

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Waverley, sailing from Dublin in 1842. Native of Monaghan.

    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 Sarah A. McKinney

    Arrived in Victoria in 1861 aboard the Donald McKay, as an infant; Irish.

    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 John McKinney

    Merchant etc of Queensland, Victoria; died 1934.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 179 records for McKinney in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (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).

Canada87 records

87 records of the McKinney name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 48
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 13
  • Other Canadian records 26
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Sharon Gail McKinney

    Buried in 1990 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 44.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Robert B. McKinney

    Died 1868 in Red Head, Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record La Verne Hall McKinney

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 87 records for McKinney in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the McKinney name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. McKinney

    Royal Irish Rifles. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. McKinney

    Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. McKinney

    Sapper, Royal Engineers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 5 records for McKinney in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the McKinney name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 2
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Westley Graham McKinney

    Died 1911, aged 22; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Donald McKinney

    Buried in 1942 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frank McKinney

    Died 1896, aged 30; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District 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 McKinney.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McKinney 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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