Kenya
Kenya was the 2499th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 71 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 275th with 894 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,605 places. More babies were named Kenya in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning from the country (Mount Kenya) · Kikuyu, English
Say it KEN-yuh /ˈkɛnjə/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,499 girls, down 1,291 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 71girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1973894 babies
- Total since 1880
- 27,553babies recorded
What does the name Kenya mean?
Kenya is a place-name used as a girls' name, taken from the East African country, which is named after Mount Kenya. The mountain's name is explained in several ways: Wiktionary lists Kikuyu kere nyaga, "white mountain" (for its snow), Kamba kii nyaa, "ostrich mountain", and others. Wikipedia notes that as a given name Kenya is mainly African American. It was most popular in the US in the 1970s to 1990s.
kere nyaga (Kikuyu, “white mountain (one proposal)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The origin of the mountain's name is uncertain; several explanations exist.
Related names: Kenia, Kenyatta.
See also: African names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kenya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Kenya (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Kenya popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 2,141 since 1964.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,499 | 71 |
| 2020 | #1,208 | 190 |
| 2010 | #716 | 395 |
| 2000 | #508 | 524 |
| 1990 | #616 | 366 |
| 1980 | #421 | 520 |
| 1970 | #554 | 335 |
| 1960 | #2,859 | 19 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kenya, counting every spelling?
Kenya is the most common spelling of a name family that had 76 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 76 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 71 | #2,499 | 658 |
| Kennya | 5 | #16,139 | 25 |
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 Kenya?
71 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kenya (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kenya 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 118 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kenya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kenya?
About 24,600 people born in the US named Kenya are alive today, with a median age of 32; half are between 20 and 48. That makes Kenya 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.
Kenya by state
How common Kenya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Georgia (2.4×). In 38 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 Kenya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kenya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kenya · Sibling names for Kenya
Questions about the name Kenya
What does Kenya mean?
Kenya is usually explained as “from the country (Mount Kenya)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Kenya?
Kenya was the 2499th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 71 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 275th with 894 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,605 places. More babies were named Kenya in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Kenya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kenya in the US.
Where is Kenya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kenya was most common in Georgia (0.19 per 1,000 girls), followed by South Carolina and California.