McKinley (surname) McKinley (surname) McKinley is a Scottish and Irish surname historically associated with northwestern Ireland's County Donegal, and the over-kingdom of Ulaid in northeastern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. The McKinley are of the ancient Ulaid race and are a branch of its "Red Branch" MacDunleavy (dynasty) royal house of the Dal Fiatach which dominated the kingship of the over-kingdom of Ulaid (original Gaelic language Mac Duinnshléibhe). Etymology for the origins of the surname proposes that the Anglicized surname McKinley, like the surname MacNulty (Gaelic Mac an Ultaigh, trans. "son of the ultonian, ulidian or ulsterman"), arose originally from a Gaelic
Mac Amhalghaidh "Nic Amhalghaidh". This feminine surname is actually a contracted form of "iníon Mhic Amhalghaidh", which translates into English as "daughter of "Mac Amhalghaidh"". The form of the surname for married females is "Bean Mhic Amhalghaidh", which translates into English as "wife of "Mac Amhalghaidh""; this feminine surname can also be represented in the contracted form "Mhic Amhalghaidh". A cognate of the Irish "Mac Amhalghaidh" is the Scottish Gaelic "MacAmhalghaidh". The feminine form of this Scottish Gaelic surname is "NicAmhalghaidh". This feminine name is composed of the prefix "Nic-", which is an abbreviated form of the Scottish Gaelic "nighean mhic" or