Kena
Kena was the 8105th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked 1466th with 70 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 3,290 places. More babies were named Kena in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kenna) from McKenna or Irish Ó Cionaodha · Irish, Scottish Gaelic
- Rank in 2025
- #8,105 girls, up 2,600 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 13girls
- Girls and boys
- 75% girls, 25% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 197570 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,911babies recorded
What does the name Kena mean?
Kena is a spelling of Kenna, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kenna's meaning and origin.
Kenna is a Scottish and Irish surname. Wiktionary gives two origins: shortened from McKenna, and from Irish Ó Cionaodha, descendant of Cionaodh, a name usually anglicized as Kenneth. As a girls' name it has risen in recent decades. Kenneth itself has two Gaelic sources, one of them meaning handsome, according to Wiktionary, so Kenna's meaning is only indirect. US records show Kenna since 1915.
Ó Cionaodha (Irish, “descendant of Cionaodh”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Surname with two Gaelic sources; the meaning of Cionaodh is not given in our sources.
Related names: McKenna, Kenneth, Kendra, Kenzie.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenna' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenneth' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Kena popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,105 | — | 13 | — |
| 2020 | #10,705 | #10,107 | 9 | 7 |
| 2010 | #10,837 | — | 10 | — |
| 2000 | #5,404 | — | 21 | — |
| 1990 | #3,755 | — | 28 | — |
| 1980 | #1,950 | — | 55 | — |
| 1970 | #1,995 | — | 42 | — |
| 1960 | #3,807 | — | 12 | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Kena, counting every spelling?
Kena is a spelling of Kenna, a name family that ranked #748 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #8,105 for Kena on its own. Together these spellings went to 370 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenna | 357 | #759 | 1,959 |
| Kena | 13 | #8,105 | 68 |
| Kennah | — | — | 39 |
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 Kena?
13 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kena (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kena 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 646 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kena.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kena?
About 1,700 people born in the US named Kena are alive today, with a median age of 45; half are between 30 and 53. That makes Kena mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kena: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kena, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kena
What does Kena mean?
Kena is a spelling of Kenna, usually explained as “from McKenna or Irish Ó Cionaodha”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Kena?
Kena was the 8105th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked 1466th with 70 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 3,290 places. More babies were named Kena in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Kena a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 75% girls, 25% boys given the name Kena in the US.