Makenna
Makenna was the 593rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 495 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 201st; the most babies were born in 2005 (1,619). Over the last ten years it has moved down 304 places. More babies were named Makenna in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning son of Cionaodh (from McKenna) · Irish, American English
Say it muh-KEN-uh /məˈkɛnə/
- Rank in 2025
- #593 girls, down 191 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 495girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20051,619 babies
- Total since 1880
- 33,749babies recorded
What does the name Makenna mean?
Makenna is a variant of McKenna invented in the 1980s, according to Wiktionary. McKenna is the Irish and Scottish surname Mac Cionaodha, "son of Cionaodh", a name usually anglicized as Kenneth. The early Gaelic name Cináed is of uncertain meaning. As a girl's first name, Makenna is an American respelling of the surname.
Mac Cionaodha (Irish, “son of Cionaodh”)
How sure is this? Probable. 'Son of Cionaodh' is clear; Cionaodh's own meaning is not.
Related names: Mckenna, McKenna, Kenna.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Makenna', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenna', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenneth', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Makenna
The usual nicknames for Makenna are Kenna. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Makenna in the last five years, 58 were named Kenna, against 20 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenna · also for Mckenna | Modern | #759 | 1,959 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Makennas go by each one.
Makenna popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 8 since 1996.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #593 | 495 |
| 2020 | #402 | 775 |
| 2010 | #201 | 1,543 |
| 2000 | #277 | 1,163 |
| 1990 | #2,993 | 38 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Makenna, counting every spelling?
Makenna is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #503 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #593 for Makenna on its own. Together these spellings went to 612 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Makenna | 495 | #593 | 3,365 |
| Makena | 63 | #2,740 | 498 |
| Mackenna | 49 | #3,233 | 333 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Makenna?
495 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Makenna (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Makenna born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Makenna.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Makenna?
About 33,400 people born in the US named Makenna are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 11 and 23. That makes Makenna mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Makenna by state
How common Makenna was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Iowa (2.5×), Kentucky (2.4×), Nebraska (2.4×), Minnesota (2.0×), Indiana (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Oregon, Utah, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Makenna: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Makenna, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Makenna · Sibling names for Makenna
Questions about the name Makenna
What does Makenna mean?
Makenna means “son of Cionaodh (from McKenna)” (Irish, American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Makenna?
Makenna was the 593rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 495 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 201st; the most babies were born in 2005 (1,619). Over the last ten years it has moved down 304 places. More babies were named Makenna in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Makenna a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Makenna in the US.
Where is Makenna most popular?
In 2021–2025, Makenna was most common in Iowa (1.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by Kentucky and Nebraska.