Kenny
Kenny was the 1271st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 155 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 169th with 1,934 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 378 places. More babies were named Kenny in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Kenneth · Scottish Gaelic, Irish, English
Say it KEN-ee /ˈkɛni/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,271 boys, down 182 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 155boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19601,934 babies
- Total since 1880
- 52,479babies recorded
What does the name Kenny mean?
Kenny is a pet form of Kenneth, and is also an Irish surname (from Ó Cionnaith). Kenneth is the English form of two Gaelic names: Cináed, the name of early Scottish kings, which goes back to a Pictish name of unclear meaning, and Cainnech, "handsome". Wikipedia notes the Irish surname comes from a personal name of its own. Kenny was most popular in the US in the 1960s.
Coinneach / Cainnech (Gaelic, “handsome”)Cináed (Old Irish, “name of Scottish kings, of Pictish origin”)
How sure is this? Probable. Kenneth blends two Gaelic names; only Cainnech ("handsome") has a clear meaning.
Related names: Kenneth, Ken, Kenney, Kenzie.
See also: Scottish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenny', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenneth', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Kenny', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Kenny popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 548 since 1924, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,271 | 155 |
| 2020 | #1,089 | 182 |
| 2010 | #631 | 385 |
| 2000 | #431 | 566 |
| 1990 | #431 | 516 |
| 1980 | #330 | 574 |
| 1970 | #302 | 668 |
| 1960 | #169 | 1,934 |
| 1950 | #299 | 514 |
| 1940 | #316 | 317 |
| 1930 | #880 | 57 |
| 1920 | #3,660 | 7 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kenny, counting every spelling?
Kenny has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,205 for boys in 2025, against #1,271 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Kenny?
155 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kenny (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kenny 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 54 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kenny.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kenny?
About 41,400 people born in the US named Kenny are alive today, with a median age of 50; half are between 30 and 65. That makes Kenny mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Kenny by state
How common Kenny was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Ohio (1.9×), Florida (1.8×), Massachusetts (1.7×), New York (1.6×). In 35 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 Kenny: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kenny, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kenny · Sibling names for Kenny
Kenny is also a nickname for Kenneth, Kendall, Kendrick and Ken.
Questions about the name Kenny
What does Kenny mean?
Kenny means “pet form of Kenneth” (Scottish Gaelic, Irish, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kenny?
Kenny was the 1271st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 155 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 169th with 1,934 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 378 places. More babies were named Kenny in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Kenny a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kenny in the US.
Where is Kenny most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kenny was most common in Ohio (0.17 per 1,000 boys), followed by Florida and Massachusetts.