McKinnis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of McKinnis

What does the name McKinnis mean?

While many of Irish names are quite familiar to most, their original Gaelic forms are often forgotten and mysterious. The original Gaelic form of the name McKinnis is Mag Aonghusa or Mag Aonghuis, which mean “son of Angus.” 1

Early Origins of the McKinnis family

The surname McKinnis was first found in County Down (Irish:An Dún) part of the Province of Ulster, in Northern Ireland, formerly known as county St Mirren, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

McKinnis Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, was what guided scribes and church officials in recording names, a practice that often led to the misleading result of one person’s name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname McKinnis are preserved in documents that were examined for evidence of the family’s history. The various spellings of McKinnis included Genis, Guinness, Magennis, Guinnessy, McGuinness and many more.

Early Notables of the McKinnis family

Hugo Magennis (d. 1640) who was the Franciscan Bishop of Down and Connor; the second Viscount Iveagh, Brian Magennis who was killed in action in 1703; Richard and Richard the Elder Magenis were listed as Representatives of the…
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McKinnis Ranking

the United States, the name McKinnis is the 11,820^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2