Fun Facts About the Name Mckinnley
- 578 babies named Mckinnley: U.S. records list 578 babies given the name Mckinnley from 1880 through 2025. Even 72 boys received the name Mckinnley - about 1 boy for every 7 girls.
What Does the Name Mckinnley Mean?
Mckinnley is a variant spelling of McKinley, an English-language form of the Gaelic surname Mac Fhionnlaoich (in Scottish Gaelic also Mac Fhionnlaigh). The Gaelic name means "son of Fionnlaoch," a personal name built from fionn, "fair" or "white," and laoch, "warrior" or "hero." Read literally, the surname means "son of the fair warrior." The Mac element means "son of," so the name originally identified a man as the son of someone named Fionnlaoch rather than describing him directly. The spelling Mckinnley changes only the written form; the meaning comes from the parent surname.
Mckinnley Name History & Origins
The Gaelic surname Mac Fhionnlaoich belongs to the Gaelic-speaking regions of Ireland and Scotland. In Ireland it is associated especially with County Donegal in Ulster, where it was anglicized in various ways; the Scottish Gaelic Mac Fhionnlaigh produced forms such as McKinlay and McKinley. Because Gaelic sounds do not map neatly onto English letters, the name appeared in English records with a range of spellings, including McKinlay, MacKinley, and McKinley.
Like many surnames, McKinley later came into use as a first name, particularly in the United States. William McKinley, the twenty-fifth U.S. president, is a well-known bearer of the surname form. The spelling Mckinnley, with a doubled n and a lowercase c, is one of several modern written variants of the same name rather than a separate Gaelic original.
How Popular is the Name Mckinnley?
Mckinnley has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2011. Its best rank was #3,703 in 2011.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,684 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #7,111 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #8,326 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #13,108 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #7,886 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #7,110 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2019 | #6,927 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #5,725 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2017 | #4,772 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2016 | #5,230 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2015 | #3,957 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2014 | #6,900 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #5,255 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2012 | #5,354 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2011 | #3,703 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2010 | #4,156 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 2009 | #6,470 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #9,884 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #9,964 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #7,377 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #9,901 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #8,562 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #7,853 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #9,258 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #14,376 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #7,547 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #7,860 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #12,825 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #13,581 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #8,535 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #10,608 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #10,509 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #8,185 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #11,715 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #11,561 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #8,417 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #8,156 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #8,628 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #8,508 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Mckinnley Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Mckinnley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Mckinnley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.