Holding steady.
Popularity of Kinney since 1922
Babies named Kinney per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1961, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Kinney's real moment was 1945.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 23 |
| 1930s | 27 |
| 1940s | 54 |
| 1950s | 79 |
| 1960s | 90 |
| 1970s | 32 |
| 1980s | 39 |
| 1990s | 10 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Kinney is a rare given name with Irish surname roots. It first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1922 and saw its peak usage in 1945. Over the decades, its trajectory has been stable, never achieving widespread popularity. The name is most commonly associated with boys, though its soft sound lends itself to unisex use. As a transferred surname, it shares stylistic ties with other Irish and English surname-names like Finley and Brady. Without a strong presence in any particular state, Kinney remains a distinctive and underused choice for parents seeking a traditional but uncommon name.
Kinney is primarily a transferred use of the Irish surname Ó Cionnaith or Mac Cionnaith, meaning 'descendant of Coinneach' (handsome). It also appears as an anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic MacCoinnich. In some cases, it may derive from an English place name, such as Kinney in Yorkshire. The name saw moderate use as a given name in the United States during the early to mid-20th century.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Kin, Kenny
Sibling names for Kinney
Names that share Kinney's style, for a brother or sister.
