McKinney Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McKinney last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McKinney last name
Meaning of the McKinney last name: son of Cionaodh (Kenneth). McKinney is an Ulster and Scottish surname from Gaelic Mac Cionaoith, "son of Cionaodh", the name better known today as Kenneth. Scottish settlers brought the last name to Antrim, Down and Tyrone, and from there many families crossed the Atlantic. A curious detail of this surname origin: McKinney is now far more common in the United States, especially the South, than in either Ireland or Scotland.
Arms associated with the McKinney name
Coats of arms associated with the McKinney surname draw on Scottish heraldry, carried to Ulster by settlers, where each blazon belongs to one bearer at a time.
Get your full McKinney family history
This is only a glimpse of the McKinney story. The full McKinney history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted McKinney coat of arms. Get the full McKinney report.
McKinney name FAQ
What does the McKinney name mean?
Son of Cionaodh (Kenneth). Common variants include McKenney, McKinny, MacKinney.
Where does the McKinney surname come from?
It originates in Northern Ireland & Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and Canada.
Is there a McKinney coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McKinney coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).