MCKINNEY
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Kinney, Mckinney
The surname McKinney has its origins firmly situated in the Gaelic heritage of the British Isles. Its earliest documented appearance is found in Scotland, where it is first recorded in the mid-15th century.
The derivation of the name follows the classic Gaelic patronymic pattern, combining the prefix Mac, meaning “son of,” with a personal name that has survived into the Anglicised form. In the predominant Scottish tradition, McKinney is understood to stem from Mac Coinnich, a Gaelic construct that translates literally as “son of Coinneach.” The element Coinneach itself bears the meaning of “handsome” or “comely,” suggesting that the original bearer may have been held in esteem for such qualities.
An alternative Gaelic articulation of the surname is found in the form Mac Cionaodha. This version of the name is composed of Mac (“son of”), the constituent cion signifying respect or affection, and Aodh, the name of a pre-Christian deity associated with fire. Consequently, the surname explains a filial link to a progenitor who was revered for kindness towards the god Aodh. Variants of this Gaelic form—such as MacKenna, MacKinna, MacKinnie, and, in some cases, McKinney—have been photographed predominantly in Scottish districts, especially in Glasgow, yet also appear in the Tyrone and Fermanagh counties of Ireland where a portion of the community traces its ancestry to Scottish settlers.
Beyond etymology, documentary evidence illuminates the early diffusion of the surname. A charter witness from Wigtownshire in 1544 named William M'Kinnay offers one of the earliest recorded spellings. Two years later, in 1546, a John Mackynnay of Cray in Kirkcudbrightshire appears in the same region. An heiress, Alexander M'Kinnie, was identified as the heir of Normand M'Kinnie in the land of Rosneyth in 1609. In the southern extremity of Arran, local tradition notes a phonetic shift that produced the forms Arranese M'Kinyie and Galwegian M'Kinnie. The name also crossed the Atlantic: a John McKinney, aged 24, entered New York Harbour on 30 April 1846 as part of the immigration wave stemming from the Irish famine.
Tracing the chronology further back, the earliest verifiable spelling is associated with Nevin McKenze in the financial accounts of the Earl of James, the ruler of Scotland between 1460 and 1488. The document, dated 1473, appears in the Archives of the Lord High Treasurer and offers the most ancient secure evidence of the surname in an official capacity.
Collectively, these strands of record portray the McKinney name as a longstanding emblem of Gaelic patronymic identity, with a documented presence that extends across Scotland and Ireland from the fifteenth century to the early nineteenth century, and a diaspora that reached the United States during the nineteenth‑century famine migrations.
Typical given names associated with the McKinney surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Anne
- Caroline
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Kathleen
- Linda
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Mackenney
- Mackine
- Mackinn
- Mackinne
- Mackinnes
- Mackinney
- Mackinny
- Mcainey
- Mccanney
- Mcinnies
- Mckeaney
- Mckeeney
- Mckegney
- Mckenney
- Mckennie
- Mckenny
- Mckeny
- Mckigney
- Mckin
- Mckinay
- Mckine
- Mckiney
- Mckinn
- Mckinna
- Mckinnes
- Mckinnia
- Mckinnie
- Mckinnis
- Mckinnley
- Mckinny
- Mcquinn
- Mcquinney
- Macinnies
- Mackennie
- Mackenny
- Mackeny
- Mackin
- Mackney
- Mccanny
- Mcinnes
- Mckeagney
- Mckenna
- Mckennan
- Mckenne
- Mckinnell
- Mckinnon
- Mckinsey
- Mckinzey
- Mcswiney
- McInnis
- McKinley
- McQueeney
- McWhinney
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McKinney in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 2,138 people named McKinney in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,965th most common surname in Britain. Around 33 in a million people in Britain are named McKinney.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named McKinney
- Fearghal McKinney - Northern Irish politician and journalist
- Jack McKinney - American basketball player and coach (1935 to 2018)
- Tom McKinney - Northern Irish rugby union and rugby league football player (1926 to 1999)
- Stewart McKinney - Irish rugby union player
- Richard McKinney - Northern Irish football player
- Patrick McKinney -
- Daniel McKinney - Northern Irish football player (1898 to 1956)
- Peter McKinney - Football player (1897 to 1979)
- Bones McKinney - American basketball player-coach (1919 to 1997)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.