NameCensus.

UK surname

Mckinley

A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Fhionnlaigh," meaning "son of Fionnlagh" (fair hero).

In the 1881 census there were 599 people recorded with the Mckinley surname, ranking it #5,842 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,727, ranked #3,613, up from #5,842 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Manchester and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Carrick South and IZ13.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mckinley is 1,727 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 188.3%.

1881 census count

599

Ranked #5,842

Modern count

1,727

2016, ranked #3,613

Peak year

2016

1,727 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mckinley had 599 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,842 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,727 in 2016, ranked #3,613.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,103 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mckinley surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mckinley surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mckinley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mckinley over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 295 #7,737
1861 historical 302 #8,393
1881 historical 599 #5,842
1891 historical 601 #6,375
1901 historical 1,103 #4,377
1911 historical 671 #6,286
1997 modern 1,629 #3,638
1998 modern 1,659 #3,710
1999 modern 1,699 #3,662
2000 modern 1,654 #3,730
2001 modern 1,634 #3,702
2002 modern 1,664 #3,709
2003 modern 1,611 #3,736
2004 modern 1,634 #3,702
2005 modern 1,639 #3,656
2006 modern 1,637 #3,668
2007 modern 1,683 #3,606
2008 modern 1,683 #3,630
2009 modern 1,678 #3,727
2010 modern 1,705 #3,753
2011 modern 1,697 #3,705
2012 modern 1,676 #3,692
2013 modern 1,716 #3,673
2014 modern 1,722 #3,680
2015 modern 1,702 #3,680
2016 modern 1,727 #3,613

Geography

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Where Mckinleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Carrick South, IZ13, IZ12 and East Riding of Yorkshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 058 Bradford
2 Carrick South South Ayrshire
3 IZ13 West Dunbartonshire
4 IZ12 West Dunbartonshire
5 East Riding of Yorkshire 039 East Riding of Yorkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mckinley

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mckinley surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mckinley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mckinley, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Mckinley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mckinley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mckinley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mckinley is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mckinley falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mckinley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mckinley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mckinley

The surname McKinley is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "mac Fhionghaine," meaning "son of Fingan." It is a patronymic name that emerged in the Scottish Highlands during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "McKynlay" in this historical record.

In the 16th century, the name was frequently spelled as "McKinley" or "McKinlay" in various Scottish records and chronicles. It was prevalent in the regions of Argyll, Ayrshire, and Lanarkshire, where the McKinley clan had established themselves.

Notable historical figures with the surname McKinley include Sir John McKinley (1637-1718), a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the economic development of Glasgow. Another prominent individual was William McKinley (1843-1901), the 25th President of the United States, who was born in Niles, Ohio, to a family of Scottish ancestry.

In the 17th century, the name McKinley was associated with the town of Kilwinning in Ayrshire, which was once known as "McKinleyville" or "McKinley's Town." This town was renowned for its historical abbey and connections to the Knights Templar.

Other notable individuals with the surname McKinley include Reverend John McKinley (1721-1793), a Presbyterian minister and educator who founded the prestigious Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, and William McKinley Osborne (1787-1845), a Scottish-American politician and lawyer who served as a judge in Ohio.

The McKinley name has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as McKinley's Ferry in Argyll and McKinley's Loch in Ayrshire, further reinforcing the historical ties of this surname to the Scottish Highlands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mckinley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mckinley surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 26 Mckinleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.45x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 26 2.45x
Northumberland 14 8.77x
Durham 12 3.76x
Lancashire 11 0.86x
Hampshire 10 4.55x
Surrey 10 1.91x
Derbyshire 9 5.36x
Cheshire 8 3.38x
Middlesex 6 0.56x
Essex 2 0.94x
Ayrshire 1 1.25x
Cumberland 1 1.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Falsgrave in Yorkshire leads with 16 Mckinleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1019.11x.

Place Total Index
Falsgrave 16 1019.11x
Portsea 10 23.20x
Alnwick 8 291.97x
Hathersage 8 1702.13x
Lambeth 8 8.55x
Seaton Carew 7 1093.75x
Limehouse London 5 42.44x
West Derby 5 13.42x
Helmington Row 4 268.46x
Little Neston 4 1052.63x
Shipley 4 72.46x
Thornaby 4 100.76x
Kirkdale 3 14.01x
Longbenton 3 44.38x
Bollin Fee 2 190.48x
Manchester 2 3.49x
Thames Ditton 2 183.49x
West Ham 2 4.28x
Ayr 1 26.39x
Barrow In Furness 1 5.77x
Caldy 1 1428.57x
Doncaster 1 12.87x
Elswick 1 7.85x
Elvet 1 43.48x
Kensington London 1 1.68x
Matlock 1 44.25x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 10.48x
Pannal 1 98.04x
Stockport 1 8.20x
Tynemouth 1 11.70x
Whitehaven 1 20.33x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mckinley surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 10
Elizabeth 6
Agnes 5
Jane 5
Margaret 3
Bridget 2
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Flora 2
Florence 2
Isabella 2
Maria 2
Sarah 2
Anistatia 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Hannah 1
Jeanie 1
Kate 1
Maggie 1
Margret 1
Martha 1
Norah 1
Rose 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mckinley surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 9
William 5
David 4
Archibald 3
James 3
Thomas 3
Ernest 2
Walter 2
Adam 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Allen 1
Andrew 1
Charles 1
Chas.A. 1
Daniel 1
Geo.M. 1
Geo.S. 1
Henry 1
Isaiah 1
Stephen 1
Wm. 1
Wm.H. 1
Wm.L. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mckinley households.

FAQ

Mckinley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mckinley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 599 people were recorded with the Mckinley surname. That placed it at #5,842 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mckinley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,727 in 2016. That gives Mckinley a modern rank of #3,613.

What does the Mckinley surname mean?

A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Fhionnlaigh," meaning "son of Fionnlagh" (fair hero).

What does the Mckinley map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mckinley bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.