Mckenna
A modernized feminine form of an Irish surname, possibly derived from "Ó Monacháin" meaning "descendent of a monk".
Name Census estimates that about 43,069 living Americans carry the first name Mckenna. It sits at #377 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mckenna today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mckenna births was 2002 (1,804 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mckenna. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mckenna with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Mckenna is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 183 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
43K
~ 1 in 7,958 Americans
Peak year
2002
1,804 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2006 SSA rank
#377
Tracked since 1972
Census
Mckenna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 37,061 people with the first name Mckenna, which placed it at #1,114 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#1,114
National first-name rank
People counted
37K
37,061 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
12.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
85.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckenna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mckenna is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mckenna described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mckenna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 31,719
- Two or more races5.5% · 2,042
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 1,892
- Black or African American2.4% · 904
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 272
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 232
Gender
Gender distribution for Mckenna
Out of the 43,728 babies given the name Mckenna since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Mckenna as a male name
- Ranked #10,274 in 2006
- 7 male births in 2006
- Peak: 1995 (43 births)
Mckenna as a female name
- Ranked #377 in 2024
- 825 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2002 (1,795 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mckenna appears almost entirely female. Of the 37,053 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Mckenna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mckenna from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 16,398 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Mckenna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mckenna by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mckenna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mckennas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 50 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Mckenna, while Rhode Island, Hawaii, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 849 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mckenna
The given name Mckenna has its roots in Irish and Scottish Gaelic culture. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "cendaigh" or "cennetig," meaning "handsome" or "born of fire." The name is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century.
Mckenna was initially found in Ireland and Scotland, particularly in regions with strong Gaelic heritage. Variations of the spelling include McKenna, McKenney, and McKinney. The name was often given to sons born with striking features or a fiery personality.
While there are no known direct references to the name Mckenna in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is rooted in the rich Gaelic tradition and reflects the culture's emphasis on physical attributes and characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mckenna is found in the 17th century Irish genealogical records. A notable individual from this time was Mckenna, the son of Eoghan Ó Maonaigh, a prominent chieftain in County Fermanagh, Ireland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mckenna. One such person was Joseph Mckenna (1843-1926), an American lawyer and politician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1898 to 1925.
Another notable Mckenna was Siobhan Mckenna (1923-1986), an Irish actress renowned for her performances on stage and screen. She was born in Belfast and had a successful career spanning over four decades, appearing in productions such as "Playboy of the Western World" and "Beckett."
In the field of sports, Mckenna Ryan (born 1983) is a former American professional soccer player who competed as a forward for various teams, including the Boston Breakers and Sky Blue FC in the National Women's Soccer League.
Mckenna Grace (born 2006) is a young American actress known for her roles in films such as "Gifted," "Captain Marvel," and "Troop Zero." Despite her young age, she has garnered critical acclaim for her performances.
Mckenna Haley (born 1986) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. She has released several albums and is known for her unique blend of indie-folk and alternative rock styles.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the given name Mckenna, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and enduring popularity.
People
Mckenna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mckenna as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mckenna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mckenna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 43,069 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mckenna going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 7,958 US residents.
Is Mckenna a common name?
We classify Mckenna as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 43,728 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mckenna most popular?
The single biggest year for Mckenna was 2002, when 1,804 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mckenna is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mckenna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 37,061 people with the name Mckenna, or 12.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #1,114 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mckenna in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mckenna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mckenna appears almost entirely female. Of the 37,053 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mckenna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mckenna is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mckenna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mckenna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (31,719 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mckenna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mckenna a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Mckenna in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mckenna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mckenna in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mckenna can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Mckenna?
Find out how many people have the name Mckenna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.