2000
#1,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,189
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.71
Uncommon Last name
Mckenna
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cionaoith," meaning "son of Cionaodh" (an old Irish personal name).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,165 Americans carry the last name Mckenna. That puts it at #1,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,363 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckenna surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mckenna with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,363
Census rank
#1,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,305 bearers of the surname Mckenna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckenna, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckenna
The surname McKenna is of Irish origin, with its roots dating back to the 12th century in County Monaghan, Ireland. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Mac Cionnaith," which translates to "son of Cionnaith," with Cionnaith being an old Irish personal name meaning "son of the ancients" or "son of the wisdom."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McKenna can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written by monks in the 15th century. This document mentions a man named Gilla-na-naemh Mac Cionnaith, who was a prominent figure in County Monaghan during the 13th century.
The McKenna surname is also linked to several place names in Ireland, such as Ballymackennan and Mackenny, which are derived from the Gaelic "Baile Mhic Cionnaith," meaning "the town of the son of Cionnaith." These place names further solidify the surname's connection to County Monaghan and the surrounding areas.
Notable historical figures bearing the McKenna surname include Sir Joseph Neale McKenna (1843-1919), a British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Justice of Appeal and a member of the Privy Council. Another prominent individual was Joseph McKenna (1843-1926), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd United States Attorney General from 1897 to 1898.
In the literary realm, Reginald McKenna (1863-1943) was an English writer and politician who served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer during the early 20th century. Additionally, Joseph McKenna (1880-1965) was an Irish playwright and novelist known for his works depicting life in rural Ireland.
The McKenna surname has also been associated with several notable figures in the field of sports, including John McKenna (1855-1936), an Irish-American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in the late 19th century, and James McKenna (1907-1988), an American football player and coach who played for the Chicago Bears and later served as head coach for the Detroit Lions.
While the McKenna surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread across the globe, with many descendants of the original Irish bearers now found in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckenna
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckenna, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckenna bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mckenna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 23,969
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 1,094
- Two or more races2.7% · 698
- Black or African American1.1% · 278
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 206
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckenna
Mckenna appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,293
+1,104 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 9.25
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#1,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,305
-988 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 8.80
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,226 | 26,189 | 9.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,284 | 27,293 | 9.25 | +1,104 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #1,311 | 26,305 | 8.80 | -988 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 27 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mckenna surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,284 | #1,311 | -2.1% |
| Count | 27,293 | 26,305 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 9.25 | 8.80 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckenna bearers went from 27,293 to 26,305 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,284 to #1,311.
FAQ
Mckenna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckenna?
Name Census estimates that about 30,165 living Americans carry the surname Mckenna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,363 residents.
How common is Mckenna?
Mckenna ranks #1,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,305 people with the surname Mckenna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Mckenna.
Has Mckenna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckenna went from 27,293 recorded bearers to 26,305. That is a decrease of 988 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,284 to #1,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckenna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckenna, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mckenna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (23,969 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckenna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mckenna (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mckenna mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cionaoith," meaning "son of Cionaodh" (an old Irish personal name). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mckenna (8.80 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Mckenna?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Mckenna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.