Ken
Ken was the 3277th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 36 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 177th with 1,775 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,517 places. More babies were named Ken in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Kenneth · Scottish Gaelic, English
Say it KEN /kɛn/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,277 boys, down 894 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 36boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19601,775 babies
- Total since 1880
- 33,043babies recorded
What does the name Ken mean?
Ken is the short form of Kenneth, and of other names beginning with Ken-. Kenneth is the English form of two Gaelic names: Cináed, borne by early Scottish kings and of Pictish origin, and Cainnech, "handsome". Wikipedia notes that Ken is also a separate Japanese name, with many meanings depending on the characters used. Ken was most common in the US in the 1950s and 1960s.
Cainnech (Old Irish, “handsome”)Cináed (Old Irish, “name of Scottish kings”)
How sure is this? Probable. Kenneth combines two Gaelic names; only Cainnech has a clear meaning ("handsome").
Related names: Kenneth, Kenny, Kendall.
See also: Scottish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ken', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenneth', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Ken (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Ken
The usual nicknames for Ken are Kenny. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Ken in the last five years, 367 were named Kenny, against 417 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny · also for Kenneth, Kendall, Kendrick | Traditional | #1,271 | 775 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Kens go by each one.
Ken popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 30 since 1960.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,277 | 36 |
| 2020 | #2,383 | 56 |
| 2010 | #2,027 | 68 |
| 2000 | #1,134 | 123 |
| 1990 | #858 | 142 |
| 1980 | #739 | 141 |
| 1970 | #369 | 486 |
| 1960 | #177 | 1,775 |
| 1950 | #362 | 347 |
| 1940 | #327 | 303 |
| 1930 | #728 | 76 |
| 1920 | #1,292 | 32 |
| 1910 | #1,730 | 5 |
| 1900 | #1,112 | 7 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Ken, counting every spelling?
Ken has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Ken?
36 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ken (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Ken 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 233 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ken.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ken?
About 23,300 people born in the US named Ken are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 55 and 68. That makes Ken a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Ken by state
How common Ken was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.8×). In 47 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ken: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ken, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ken · Sibling names for Ken
Ken is also a nickname for Kenneth and Kendrick.
Questions about the name Ken
What does Ken mean?
Ken means “short form of Kenneth” (Scottish Gaelic, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Ken?
Ken was the 3277th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 36 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 177th with 1,775 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,517 places. More babies were named Ken in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Ken a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Ken in the US.
Where is Ken most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ken was most common in California (0.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by Georgia and Florida.