Son of Cionaodh, in the ancestral Irish surname tradition.
The exact name entry connects Makenna to McKenna; McKenna explicitly lists MacKenna as a surname alternative. Historical Woulfe records MacKenna among renderings of Mac Cionaodha/Mac Cionaoith and interprets that surname as son of Cionaodh. This is an ancestral surname formation, not a statement about a modern child’s sex, parentage or ethnicity. It does not corroborate the licensed happiness or gift-of-God glosses, which remain preserved. No additional literal translation of Cionaodh is inferred.
Origin
Modern McKenna-related surname transfer
The reviewed entry describes a McKenna variant coined in the 1980s and transferred into given-name use. No literal meaning is inferred from the surname.
English pronunciation
Not yet published for this spelling.
Published name usage
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
Place
Year
Recorded usage
Published births
Rank
Notes
Canada
2025
Girls
58 · preliminary
523
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2021
Girls
3
5581
Historical source: not all years independently cross-checked. Rank basis: source published.
United States
2025
Girls
495
593
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States
1996
Boys
8
6496
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Sources & notes
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Language of use: English
Checked against cited source
The exact English entry documents given-name use. Language of use is separate from etymological origin and does not establish a literal meaning.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Meaning: Son of Cionaodh, in the ancestral Irish surname tradition.
Checked against cited source
The exact name entry connects Makenna to McKenna; McKenna explicitly lists MacKenna as a surname alternative. Historical Woulfe records MacKenna among renderings of Mac Cionaodha/Mac Cionaoith and interprets that surname as son of Cionaodh. This is an ancestral surname formation, not a statement about a modern child’s sex, parentage or ethnicity. It does not corroborate the licensed happiness or gift-of-God glosses, which remain preserved. No additional literal translation of Cionaodh is inferred. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. Separate spellings retain their own popularity records.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Name history: A modern McKenna-related spelling used as a given name.
Checked against cited source
The exact Makenna and McKenna entries document surname-to-given-name use. Their reported starting decades differ, so a precise invention date is not asserted. The linked McKinney entry separates Gaelic surname branches; fire, handsome and ascent glosses are not universally assigned.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin: Modern McKenna-related surname transfer
Checked against cited source
The reviewed entry describes a McKenna variant coined in the 1980s and transferred into given-name use. No literal meaning is inferred from the surname.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Supporting evidence: McKenna and McKinney · related surname histories
Checked against cited source
Supporting entries distinguish the surname relationship from a universal literal meaning. McKinney records both Mac Cionaodha/Mac Cionaoith and Mac Coinnigh branches.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Supporting evidence: McKenna: surname and given-name relationship
Checked against cited source
The exact English entry lists MacKenna as a surname form and Makenna among given-name forms; documentary identity is used for the qualified surname route, not to merge spelling-specific statistics. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. Separate spellings retain their own popularity records.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Supporting evidence: Woulfe: Mac Cionaodha/Mac Cionaoith surname account
Checked against cited source
Credit: Patrick Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames, 1923, as presented by Library Ireland. The historical entry explicitly includes MacKenna and the son-of-Cionaodh formation. Original factual summary only; no full entry, image or recording reproduced and no open license asserted for the hosting page. Original factual summary by Rare Baby Names; source rights retained. Separate spellings retain their own popularity records.
The exact Makenna entry records a McKenna-related surname transfer. This establishes the spelling relationship without assigning all Gaelic surname branches one literal meaning.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
