How common is the surname McKinley?

24,000 people in the United States had the surname McKinley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,864 Americans. It ranked 1,489th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named McKinley?

Chuck McKinley, American tennis player (1941-1986), followed by David McKinley.

Where is the surname McKinley most common?

Wikidata records people named McKinley in the United States.

Is the surname McKinley getting more or less common?

More common. 23,124 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,000 in 2010, up 3.8%.

Is McKinley also a first name?

Yes. McKinley is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname McKinley

A surname, carried by 24,000 people in the United States.

3 syllables Soundex M254 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McKinley is more common than 99.1% of them.

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 24,000 people named McKinley in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 12,864 Americans. That is up 3.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 23,124.

#1,489

rank among US surnames

24,000

people in 2010

8.1

per 100,000 Americans

+3.8%

change since 2000 (was #1,410)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,480	Liang	24,140	12,790
#1,481	Francisco	24,095	12,814
#1,482	Crow	24,089	12,817
#1,483	Bloom	24,081	12,821
#1,484	Sun	24,058	12,833
#1,485	Tompkins	24,056	12,834
#1,486	Jung	24,026	12,850

Who is named McKinley

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

74% of people named McKinley identified as white (not Hispanic), 20% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 74%
Black (not Hispanic) 20%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 1.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous McKinleys

5 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Chuck McKinley
American tennis player (1941-1986)
David McKinley
American politician, 1947–2026
John McKinley
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1780-1852)
Ray McKinley
American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader (1910-1995)
Robin McKinley
American fantasy writer, born 1952

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like McKinley

McKinley has the Soundex code M254, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M254.

Questions

How common is the surname McKinley?: 24,000 people in the United States had the surname McKinley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,864 Americans. It ranked 1,489th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname McKinley?: In the 2010 Census, 74% of people named McKinley identified as white (not Hispanic), and 20% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named McKinley?: Chuck McKinley, American tennis player (1941-1986), followed by David McKinley.
Where is the surname McKinley most common?: Wikidata records people named McKinley in the United States.
Is the surname McKinley getting more or less common?: More common. 23,124 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,000 in 2010, up 3.8%.
Is McKinley also a first name?: Yes. McKinley is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.