Mekenna
A feminine name of unclear origin, possibly a variant of McKenna.
Name Census estimates that about 396 living Americans carry the first name Mekenna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mekenna today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mekenna births was 1999 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mekenna. 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.
People living today
396
~ 1 in 865,541 Americans
Peak year
1999
30 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2021 SSA rank
#14,657
Tracked since 1991
Census
Mekenna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 418 people with the first name Mekenna, which placed it at #23,409 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
#23,409
National first-name rank
People counted
418
418 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mekenna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mekenna is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Mekenna 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 Mekenna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 332
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 32
- Two or more races6.2% · 26
- Black or African American4.3% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 5
Popularity
Mekenna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mekenna from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 161 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mekenna 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 Mekenna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mekennas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mekenna
The name Mekenna has its origins in the Gaelic language, primarily spoken in Ireland and Scotland. It is a feminine given name that emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries. The name is derived from the combination of two Gaelic words, "mèinn" meaning "vigor" or "spirit," and "cenn" meaning "chief" or "leader."
This name was particularly popular among the Irish and Scottish clans, where it was often bestowed upon daughters born to chieftains or leaders of the clan. It symbolized the hope that the child would grow up to possess a strong, spirited character and potentially take on a leadership role within the community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mekenna can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. This document mentions a woman named Mekenna, who lived in the 12th century and was known for her charitable works and dedication to the church.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mekenna. One such figure was Mekenna MacAlpin (1022-1085), a Scottish noblewoman and influential advisor to King Malcolm III of Scotland. Her counsel was highly valued, and she played a significant role in shaping the policies of the Scottish kingdom during her time.
Another prominent Mekenna was Mekenna O'Brien (1564-1631), an Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Brien clan in County Clare, Ireland. She was renowned for her bravery and strategic military prowess in defending her clan's territories during the turbulent times of the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
In the 17th century, Mekenna MacLeod (1628-1698) was a Scottish poet and writer from the Isle of Skye. Her works, which often celebrated the natural beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the rich cultural traditions of her people, were widely admired and helped preserve the Gaelic language and heritage.
During the 18th century, Mekenna Fitzgerald (1742-1823) was an Irish aristocrat and philanthropist. She dedicated her life and resources to establishing schools and healthcare facilities for the underprivileged in her community, leaving a lasting legacy of compassion and commitment to social welfare.
The name Mekenna also found its way into the realm of literature, with Mekenna MacDonald (1876-1952), a Scottish novelist and poet. Her works, which often explored themes of love, loss, and the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands, were widely celebrated and earned her a place among the most renowned writers of her time.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Mekenna, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of culture and heritage associated with this name.
People
Mekenna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mekenna 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
Mekenna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mekenna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 396 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mekenna 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 865,541 US residents.
Is Mekenna a common name?
We classify Mekenna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 404 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mekenna most popular?
The single biggest year for Mekenna was 1999, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mekenna is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mekenna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 418 people with the name Mekenna, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,409 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 Mekenna 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 Mekenna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mekenna leans strongly female. 414 people counted with this name were female (98.6%), compared with 6 male bearers (1.4%). 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 Mekenna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mekenna is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Mekenna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mekenna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (332 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 Mekenna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mekenna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mekenna 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 Mekenna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mekenna 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 Mekenna 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 have Mekenna as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Mekenna, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.