McKinley, MacKinley or Mackinlay is a Scottish and Irish surname historically associated with northwestern

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, the over-kingdom of

Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or (Irish language, Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic Provinces of Ireland, over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include , which ...

in northeastern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. One derivation given is that the McKinley are of the ancient

race and are a branch of its "Red Branch" MacDunleavy (dynasty) royal house of the

Dal Fiatach Dal is a term in the Indian subcontinent for dried, split pulses. Dal or DAL may also refer to: Places Cambodia *Dal, Ke Chong Finland * Laakso, a neighbourhood of Helsinki India * Dal Lake, in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India * Dal L ...

which dominated the kingship of the over-kingdom of

(original Gaelic language Mac Duinnshléibhe). Etymology for the origins of the surname proposes that the Anglicized surname McKinley, like the surname

MacNulty McNulty is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Goidelic languages, Gaelic ''Mac an Ultaigh'' meaning "son of the Ulsterman". Usually considered a branch of the Ulaid ruling dynasty of ''Mac Duinnshléibhe'' (Donlevy, MacDonlevy), a branch o ...

(Gaelic Mac an Ultaigh, trans. "son of the ultonian, ulidian or ulsterman"), arose originally from a

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

nickname given the deposed MacDunleavy dynasty royals while exiled in

Tirconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell and Tirconaill, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland. It is associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which was officially named ''County Tirconaill'' between 1922 and 1927. At times it also i ...

and elsewhere. Being, also, one of Ireland's ancient hereditary medical families, the MacDunleavy (variant English spelling MacDonlevy) were in Tirconnell accorded the high Gaelic status of "ollahm leighis" or the official physicians to the O'Donnell clan in

and practiced as physicians while exiled in Argyll, Scotland. The nickname was Mac an Leigh. Per this scenario the Gaelic language patronymic forming prefix "Mac" (meaning "descended of") is joined to the Gaelic language "Léigh" meaning leech, but denoting a physician. Leeching having been for millennia, in

Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland () was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late Prehistory of Ireland, prehistoric era until the 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Norman invasi ...

and elsewhere, a commonly employed medical practice. Otherwise, the name is said to be of Scottish origin, meaning 'son of Finlay'.

Notable people with the surname "McKinley" include

A

* Ada S. McKinley (1868–1952), American educator * Alvin McKinley (born 1978), American football player * Andrew McKinley (1903–1996), American musician * Ashley Chadbourne McKinley (1896–1970), American photographer

B

Ben McKinley Benjamin "Ben" McKinley (born 4 March 1987) is an Australian rules footballer who previously played for the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the West Coast Eagles. Early life McKi ...

(born 1987), Australian rules footballer *

Bill McKinley William Francis McKinley (May 13, 1910 - August 1, 1980) was a professional baseball umpire (baseball), umpire who worked in the American League from 1946 to 1965. McKinley umpired 2,977 Major League Baseball, major league games in his 20-year ca ...

(1910–1980), American baseball umpire * Bill McKinley (footballer) (1882–1952), Australian rules footballer * Brunson McKinley (born 1943), American diplomat

C

* Carl McKinley (1895–1966), American composer * Cedric McKinley (born 1987), American football player * Charles McKinley (1902–1983), English footballer * Charlie McKinley (1903–1990), Australian rules footballer *

Chuck McKinley Charles Robert McKinley Jr. (January 5, 1941 – August 11, 1986) was an American former world no. 1 men's amateur tennis champion of the 1960s. He is remembered as an undersized, hard-working dynamo, whose relentless effort and competitive spi ...

(1941–1986), American tennis player * Craig McKinley (disambiguation), multiple people

D

David McKinley David Bennett McKinley (born March 28, 1947) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, McKinley was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates f ...

(born 1947), American politician * Dennis McKinley (born 1976), American football player * Dominic McKinley (born 1960), Irish sportsperson

E

* Ernest McKinley, Bishop, Academic *

Elizabeth McKinley Elizabeth Ann McKinley is a New Zealand academic and as of 2019 is a full professor at the University of Melbourne. Academic career After a 2003 PhD titled ''Brown Bodies, White Coats: Postcolonialism, Māori Women and Science'' at the Univer ...

, New Zealand academic * Elliott Miles McKinley (born 1969), American composer * Emma McKinley (born 1980), Irish bank manager

G

* Galen McKinley, American professor * Gareth H. McKinley, American professor * George E. McKinley (1872–1941), American politician

I

* Ian McKinley (born 1989), Irish-Italian rugby union footballer *

Ida Saxton McKinley Ida McKinley (née Saxton; June 8, 1847 – May 26, 1907) was the first lady of the United States from 1897 until 1901, as the wife of President William McKinley. McKinley also served as the First Lady of Ohio from 1892 to 1896 while her husband w ...

(1847–1907), American social figure * Ivan McKinley (born 1969), South African soccer player

J

* James McKinley (disambiguation), multiple people * Javon McKinley (born 1998), American football player * J. C. McKinley (1891–1950), American neurologist * J. Edward McKinley (1917–2004), American actor * Jennifer McKinley, Northern Irish scientist * Jesse McKinley (born 1970), American journalist *

Joanne McKinley Joanne McKinley (born 1 August 1988) is a Northern Irish former cricketer who played primarily as a right-arm medium bowler. She appeared in one One Day International for Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is ...

(born 1988), Irish cricketer *

John McKinley John McKinley (May 1, 1780 – July 19, 1852) was a United States Senator from the state of Alabama and an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Early life McKinley was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, on May 1, 1780, ...

(1780–1852), American politician * John C. McKinley (1859–1927), American politician and lawyer * Joseph H. McKinley Jr. (born 1954), American judge * Joss McKinley (born 1981), British photographer * J. W. McKinley (1891–1957), American politician

K

* Kathryn S. McKinley (born 1962), American computer scientist * Kelly McKinley, Canadian-American museum curator *

Kenny McKinley Kendrick L. McKinley (January 31, 1987 – September 20, 2010) was an American professional football wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL d ...

(1987–2010), American football player * Kent S. McKinley (1898–1972), American politician

L

* Larry McKinley (1927–2013), American music promoter * L. C. McKinley (1918–1970), American guitarist * Lee McKinley (1906–1986), American politician

M

* Mairead McKinley (born 1970), Northern Irish actress * Michael McKinley (born 1954), American diplomat

P

* Paul McKinley (born 1947), American politician * Peter McKinley (1811–??), American politician

R

Ray McKinley Ray McKinley (June 18, 1910 – May 7, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader. He played drums and later led the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra in Europe. He also led the new Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956. ...

(1910–1995), American musician *

Richard McKinley Richard Albert McKinley (February 14, 1886May 18, 1951) was the first Director of the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) and one of the founders of Security Bank and Trust in Vincennes, Indiana. He was appointed the first Director of ...

(1886–1951), American politician * Robert McKinley (disambiguation), multiple people *

Robin McKinley Robin McKinley (born November 16, 1952) is an American author best known for her fantasy novels and fairy tale retellings. Her 1984 novel '' The Hero and the Crown'' won the Newbery Medal as the year's best new American children's book. In 20 ...

(born 1952), American author * Rodney J. McKinley (born 1956), American air force officer * Ruth Gowdy McKinley (1931–1981), American-Canadian artist * Richard Malone McKinley , Professional Boat Racer

T

* Takkarist McKinley (born 1995), American football player * Tamara McKinley (born 1948), British-Australian author * Therese McKinley (1928–2021), American baseball player * Thomas McKinley (1888–1949), Australian politician

V

Vern McKinley Vernon P. "Vern" McKinley, born in East Chicago, Indiana advises governments on financial sector policy and legal issues. He is the co-author with the Wall Street Journal's James Freeman of ''Borrowed Time: Two Centuries of Booms, Busts and Bail ...

, American political advisor * Verone McKinley III (born 2000), American football player * Virgil McKinley (1874–1954), American football coach

W

* Wes McKinley (born 1945), American politician * William McKinley (disambiguation), multiple people

Notable people with the given name "McKinley" include

* McKinley Bailey (born 1980), American politician * McKinley Belcher III (born 1984), American actor * McKinley Blackburn, American economist * McKinley Boston (born 1945), American academic administrator * McKinley Boykin (born 1983), American football player * McKinley Brewer (1896–1955), American baseball player * McKinley Burnett (1897–1968), American lawyer * McKinley Crone (born 1998), American professional soccer player *

McKinley Dixon McKinley Dixon (born October 28, 1995) is an American rapper and singer from Richmond, Virginia. Background Dixon was born on October 28, 1995, in Annapolis, Maryland. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Around t ...

(born 1995), American musician *

McKinley Freeman McKinley Freeman (born June 9, 1976) is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in films and on television series, including the starring role of Derek Roman in the drama series '' Hit the Floor'', portraying the role of Dominic in the OWN ...

(born 1973), American actor * McKinley Hunt (born 1997), Canadian rugby union footballer *

McKinley Mitchell McKinley Mitchell (December 25, 1934 – January 18, 1986) was an American Chicago-based blues and rhythm and blues singer, who started out performing gospel music. His first recorded single was "Rock Everybody Rock" for Boxer Records in 1959. His ...

(1934–1986), American singer * McKinley Moore (born 1998), American baseball player * McKinley L. Price (born 1949), American politician * McKinley Singleton (born 1961), American basketball player *

McKinley Tennyson McKinley Tennyson (born March 24, 1979, in Monterey, California) is an American soccer forward who played two seasons with the Portland Timbers and the 2002 playoffs with the Los Angeles Galaxy. He was the 2002 USL First Division points leader. ...

(born 1979), American soccer player *

McKinley Thompson Jr. Mckinley Thompson Jr. (November 8, 1922 – March 8, 2006) was the first African American automotive designer, and he was the first African American Designer to work at the Ford Motor Company. Thompson was a designer on the first generation Ford ...

(1922–2006), American automotive designer * McKinley Washington Jr. (1936–2022), American politician *

McKinley Wright IV McKinley Wright IV (born October 25, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Budućnost VOLI of the Montenegrin League (Prva A Liga) and ABA League. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes. Early life Wright is ...

(born 1997), American basketball player

Fictional characters

* Dash McKinley, a character on the Australian television series ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted th ...

'' *Ian McKinley, a character from the third installment of the film series ''

Final Destination ''Final Destination'' is an American horror franchise that includes six films, ten novels, and two comic books. It is based on an unproduced spec script by Jeffrey Reddick, originally written for the television series ''The X-Files''. All of ...

'' *Protagonist in the 1975 Soviet film '' The Flight of Mr. McKinley'' *Beetroot McKinley, a character in the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Danny Devito film "Twins". *Starbase McKinley, a location in the Star Trek universe.

References

{{Reflist Surnames Anglicised Scottish Gaelic-language surnames Anglicised Irish-language surnames

Notable people with the surname "McKinley" include

A

B

C

D

E

G

I

J

K

L

M

P

R

T

V

W

Notable people with the given name "McKinley" include

Fictional characters

See also

References