How Many People Are Named Mckinley?
An estimated 17,892 people in the United States have the first name Mckinley. It is used for both genders, with 56.6% female. The average bearer is 22 years old, and Mckinley peaked in popularity in 2014 with 934 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Mckinley as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Mckinley paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Mckinley has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- Mckinley is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
Estimated Living Americans
17,892
About 1 in 19,157 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
56.6% confidence
Average Age
22
years old
Peak Year
2014
934 births
Total Registered
22,456
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Mckinley
Mckinley is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (43.4%) and females (56.6%). Out of 22,456 total births registered, 9,756 were male and 12,700 were female.
Mckinley as a male name
Ranked #4,380 in 2024
24 male births in 2024
Peak: 1920 (148 births)
Mckinley as a female name
Ranked #742 in 2024
378 female births in 2024
Peak: 2014 (862 births)
Mckinley in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 13,648 people with the first name Mckinley, which placed it at #2,013 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Mckinley was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 13,648 people with this name in that snapshot, 30.6% were male and 69.4% were female. That is more heavily female than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 56.6% female.
Census Count
13,648
people with this name
Census Rank
#2,013
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
4.52
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Mckinley was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (68.67%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (20.92%) and Two or More Races (5.36%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Mckinley in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Mckinley.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 68.67% | 9,373 |
| Black | 20.92% | 2,856 |
| Two or More Races | 5.36% | 732 |
| Hispanic | 3.50% | 478 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.08% | 147 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.47% | 64 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Mckinley: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Mckinley span from the 1890s to the 2020s, covering 14 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 7,927 babies were registered. While Mckinley is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Mckinley by Decade
How has Mckinley tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Mckinley by State
Birth registrations for Mckinley span all 48 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia. The lowest are in Wyoming, District of Columbia, Vermont. On average, about 327 Mckinleys were registered per state.
Mckinley + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Mckinley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Mckinley
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Mckinley: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mckinley?
We estimate approximately 17,892 people named Mckinley are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 19,157 Americans share this first name.
Is Mckinley a common name?
Mckinley is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 22,456 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Mckinley most popular?
Mckinley reached peak popularity in 2014, when 934 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Mckinley is approximately 22 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Mckinley in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 13,648 people with the first name Mckinley. That placed it at #2,013 in the published Census first-name tables, or 4.52 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Mckinley was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mckinley?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Mckinley was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 30.6% male and 69.4% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mckinley?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Mckinley was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (68.67%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (20.92%) and Two or More Races (5.36%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Mckinley a female name?
Mckinley is predominantly female. 56.6% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Mckinley have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Mckinley peaked in 2014, and the average living bearer is about 22 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Mckinley Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Mckinley Smith, Mckinley Johnson, Mckinley Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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