unisex name

Mckinley

  • Origin Scottish
  • Gender Unisex
  • Syllables 3
  • Letters 8
  • Popularity Top 1000 (US)
  • Births on record 23,734

the United States

#713

2025 births

Mckinley is a unisex name with 3 syllables. It is given to both girls and boys — about 58% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 423 babies in the United States, ranking #713. It is a well-established, commonly used name.

  • Mckinley is a name of Scottish origin.
  • Peaked in 2014, when 934 babies were given the name.
  • Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
  • Today about 1 in 7,838 babies in the United States is given this name.
  • Mckinley started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
  • First appears in US birth records in 1890.
  • 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.

Mckinley over time

Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.

7,928
'90 '00 '10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Mckinley by decade in the United States
Decade Births
1890s 478
1900s 550
1910s 653
1920s 1,252
1930s 915
1940s 902
1950s 948
1960s 618
1970s 414
1980s 551
1990s 1,416
2000s 3,199
2010s 7,928
2020s (to 2025) 3,060

How popular is Mckinley?

In 2025, Mckinley was given to 423 babies in the United States, ranking #713 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.

Where Mckinley is used

Scotland #701 4 in 2020
United States #713 423 in 2025
Canada #1,464 17 in 2024
England & Wales #6,468 3 in 2025

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.

Names that peaked alongside Mckinley

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Mckinley also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mckinley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Mckinley

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mckinley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Mckinley

How popular is the name Mckinley?

In 2025, Mckinley was given to 423 babies in the United States, ranking #713 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.

Is Mckinley a girl's or a boy's name?

Mckinley is used for both girls and boys. About 58% of recorded births with this name are girls.

How many syllables are in Mckinley?

Mckinley has 3 syllables.

When was Mckinley most popular?

Mckinley peaked in 2014, when 934 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.

Is Mckinley a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mckinley currently ranks #713 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.

Was Mckinley originally a boys' or girls' name?

Mckinley was given mostly to boys in the earliest US birth records and is now given almost entirely to girls.