An Irish and Scottish surname, Kinney comes from the Old Gaelic terms ‘cion’ and ‘aodh’ which refer to affection and respect. The spelling variations for Kinney include McKinney, Kenney, Kenny, MacKinnie, MacKenney, MacKenna, MacKinna and MacKennagh. In England the original Kinney families lived in Somerset. Over the centuries the Kinney families moved into Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Cornwall, Essex, the city of London and Gloucestershire. In Ireland the Kinney families started in County Monaghan. In Scotland the majority Kinney individuals live in Lanarkshire, Dumfries-shire, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Angus and Roxburghshire. Within the United States the first Kinney families settled in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Ohio. Famous: George Romanta Kinney (manufacturer of shoes and founded G. R. Kinney Company), Terry Kinney (actor), Jeff Kinney (writer of children’s books), Matt Kinney (professional baseball player), Alva Kinney (founder of ConAgra Foods), Henry Lawrence Kinney (pioneer settled in southwest Texas and a county named Kinney after him), Abbott Kinney (founder of the Venice, California) and Jeffrey Bruce Kinney (professional football player).