Kensley
Kensley was the 742nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 367 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 424th with 738 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 103 places. More babies were named Kensley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it KENZ-lee /ˈkɛnzli/
- Rank in 2025
- #742 girls, down 288 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 367girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2018738 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,285babies recorded
What does the name Kensley mean?
Kensley is a recent American girls' name, first recorded in the late 1980s. Wiktionary lists it as a surname from Old English and as a girls' name taken from the surname, but gives no further etymology. It looks like a blend in the style of Kinsley and Kendall, or a place-name form like Kensington, which Wiktionary explains as "estate associated with Cynesige." No source confirms Kensley's own meaning, so we do not give one.
How sure is this? Not documented. Wiktionary records the surname but not its meaning.
Related names: Kinsley, Kensington, Kenzie.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kensley' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kensington' (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)
Kensley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 337 since 1989, 16 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #742 | 367 |
| 2020 | #454 | 680 |
| 2010 | #1,043 | 240 |
| 2000 | #3,305 | 41 |
| 1990 | #9,701 | 8 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kensley, counting every spelling?
Kensley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #490 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #742 for Kensley on its own. Together these spellings went to 646 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kensley | 367 | #742 | 2,148 |
| Kenzley | 80 | #2,288 | 499 |
| Kenzlee | 56 | #2,976 | 420 |
| Kenslee | 46 | #3,363 | 314 |
| Kenslie | 22 | #5,641 | 134 |
| Kenzlie | 14 | #7,684 | 119 |
| Kensli | 13 | #8,107 | 99 |
| Kenzli | 19 | #6,227 | 76 |
| Kensly | 15 | #7,325 | 71 |
| Kenzly | 14 | #7,685 | 52 |
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 Kensley?
367 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kensley (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kensley 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 23 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kensley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kensley?
About 8,900 people born in the US named Kensley are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 6 and 13. That makes Kensley a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Kensley by state
How common Kensley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (5.8×), Alabama (4.0×), Louisiana (3.5×), South Carolina (2.7×), Tennessee (2.4×). In 17 states fewer than five girls 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 Kensley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kensley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kensley · Sibling names for Kensley
Questions about the name Kensley
How popular is the name Kensley?
Kensley was the 742nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 367 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 424th with 738 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 103 places. More babies were named Kensley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kensley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kensley in the US.
Where is Kensley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kensley was most common in Mississippi (1.54 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and Louisiana.