The first name McKenna
A girl’s name.
Pronounced /məˈkɛnə/ 3 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
From the Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, variant of McKinney.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 5 girls were named McKenna, making it the 4,201st most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2012, with 12 births (#2,215).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare McKenna with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named McKenna at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 758 girls born in the United States were named McKenna, the 410th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2002, when 1,795 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named McKenna
1 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Mckenna GraceAmerican actress and singer (born 2006)
Questions
- What does the name McKenna mean?
- From the Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, variant of McKinney.
- How popular is the name McKenna?
- In 2025, 5 girls born in England and Wales were named McKenna, ranking 4,201st. Its peak was 2012, with 12 births.
- Is McKenna a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 44,491 US babies named McKenna since 1880 were girls.
- When was McKenna most popular?
- 2002 in the United States, when 1,795 babies were named McKenna, its highest rank at 177th.
- How do you pronounce McKenna?
- McKenna is /məˈkɛnə/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of McKenna?
- Makenna, Mckenna and Mackenna.
- Is McKenna also a surname?
- Yes. McKenna is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.