Show ContentsKinney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of Kinney was Mac Cionaoith.

Early Origins of the Kinney family

The surname Kinney was first found in County Monaghan (Irish: Muineachán) located in the Northern part of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Ulster, at Truagh where they were known as the Lords of Truagh.

Early History of the Kinney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kinney research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1544 is included under the topic Early Kinney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinney Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Kinney dating from that time include MacKenna, MacKennagh, MacKenney, MacKenny, MacKinna, MacKinnie and many more.

Early Notables of the Kinney family

More information is included under the topic Early Kinney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinney Ranking

In the United States, the name Kinney is the 921st most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 1


United States Kinney migration to the United States +

Thousands of Irish families left for North American shores in the 19th century. These people were searching for a life unencumbered with poverty, hunger, and racial discrimination. Many arrived to eventually find such conditions, but many others simply did not arrive: victims of the diseased, overcrowded ships in which they traveled to the New World. Those who lived to see North American shores were instrumental in the development of the growing nations of Canada and the United States. A thorough examination of passenger and immigration lists has disclosed evidence of many early immigrants of the name Kinney:

Kinney Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Sir Thomas Kinney, who arrived in America in 1625 2
Kinney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Kinney, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 2
Kinney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Eliza Kinney, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 2
  • George Kinney, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 2
  • William M Kinney, aged 46, who arrived in New York in 1812-1813 2
  • Peter Kinney, who arrived in New York in 1836 2
  • Jeremiah Kinney, who landed in New York, NY in 1842 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Kinney migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Kinney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Edward Kinney, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Joseph Soames" 3

New Zealand Kinney migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Kinney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Margaret Kinney, (b. 1846), aged 18, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Ivanhoe" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th June 1864 4
  • Rose Kinney, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Kinney (post 1700) +

  • Taylor Kinney (b. 1981), American actor and model
  • Burt Orrin Kinney, American founder of Kinney Drugs, a chain of over 90 drug stores and pharmacies in 1903
  • Walter William "Walt" Kinney (1893-1971), American Major League Baseball pitcher
  • John Kinney (1847-1919), American outlaw of the Old West, founder of the John Kinney Gang
  • Richard Timothy "Dick" Kinney (1917-1985), American animator and comic book writer
  • George Romanta Kinney, American founder of G.R. Kinney Company, an American manufacturer and retailer of shoes in 1894
  • Jay Kinney (b. 1950), American author, editor, and former underground cartoonist
  • Kathy Kinney (b. 1954), American actress and comedian
  • Jeffrey Bruce "Jeff" Kinney (b. 1949), American former professional football player
  • Jack Ryan Kinney (1909-1992), American animator, director and producer of animated shorts
  • ... (Another 73 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Frederick William Kinney, American Musician First Class from Washington, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 5
  • Mr. Gilbert Livingston Kinney, American Quartermaster Second Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 5


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOSEPH SOMES / SOAMES 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JosephSomes.htm
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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