Kenneth
Kenneth was the 294th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,148 babies. Its best year was 1939, when it ranked 13th; the most babies were born in 1957 (28,064). Over the last ten years it has moved down 96 places. More babies were named Kenneth in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Scottish Gaelic, Pictish
Say it KEN-ith /ˈkɛnɪθ/
- Rank in 2025
- #294 boys, down 51 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,148boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195728,064 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,289,312babies recorded
What does the name Kenneth mean?
Kenneth is the English form of two different Gaelic names, Wiktionary and Wikipedia explain. One is Coinneach, older Cainnech, a saint's name from a word meaning 'handsome, comely'; the other is Cináed, a name of early Scottish kings that Wiktionary traces to Pictish. It was long a mainly Scottish name before becoming popular in all English-speaking countries in the 20th century.
Cainnech (Old Irish, “handsome, comely”)Cináed (Old Irish, “Cináed (possibly Pictish)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Two Gaelic names merged in English; 'handsome' applies to Coinneach only.
Related names: Ken, Kenny, Coinneach, Mackenzie.
See also: Scottish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenneth', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Kenneth', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Kenneth
The usual nicknames for Kenneth are Ken and Kenny. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Kenneth in the last five years, 12 were named Kenny, against 15 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ken · also for Kendrick | Traditional | #3,277 | 211 |
| Kenny · also for Kendall, Kendrick, Ken | Traditional | #1,271 | 775 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Kenneths go by each one.
Kenneth popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 5,338 since 1904.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #294 | 1,148 |
| 2020 | #243 | 1,483 |
| 2010 | #160 | 2,428 |
| 2000 | #94 | 4,152 |
| 1990 | #52 | 8,262 |
| 1980 | #41 | 9,608 |
| 1970 | #25 | 16,800 |
| 1960 | #16 | 27,701 |
| 1950 | #15 | 23,813 |
| 1940 | #15 | 15,132 |
| 1930 | #17 | 11,705 |
| 1920 | #23 | 7,840 |
| 1910 | #43 | 880 |
| 1900 | #90 | 279 |
| 1890 | #189 | 72 |
| 1880 | #297 | 32 |
How popular is Kenneth, counting every spelling?
Kenneth is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #301 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #294 for Kenneth on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,160 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth | 1,148 | #294 | 6,344 |
| Keneth | 12 | #7,011 | 53 |
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 Kenneth?
1,148 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kenneth (0.32 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kenneth 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kenneth.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kenneth?
About 761,000 people born in the US named Kenneth are alive today, with a median age of 61; half are between 45 and 71. That makes Kenneth 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.
Kenneth by state
How common Kenneth was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (2.1×), Mississippi (2.0×), Kentucky (1.9×), Alabama (1.8×), Arkansas (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Maine, Hawaii, Montana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kenneth: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kenneth, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kenneth · Sibling names for Kenneth
Questions about the name Kenneth
What does Kenneth mean?
The origin of Kenneth is uncertain: two Gaelic names merged in English; 'handsome' applies to Coinneach only.
How popular is the name Kenneth?
Kenneth was the 294th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,148 babies. Its best year was 1939, when it ranked 13th; the most babies were born in 1957 (28,064). Over the last ten years it has moved down 96 places. More babies were named Kenneth in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Kenneth a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kenneth in the US.
Where is Kenneth most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kenneth was most common in West Virginia (1.53 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Kentucky.