Kennedi
Meaning
modern feminine spelling of Kennedy, from Irish Ó Cinnéidigh ("armoured head" or "misshapen head")
The story
Kennedi is Kennedy respelled for a daughter, and the timing in our records is precise: a first handful of girls in the 1980s, about 960 in the 1990s, the decade the MTV host known simply as Kennedy was on the air, which Behind the Name credits with popularizing the name for girls. The 2000s brought about 4,500, the 2010s about 7,100, and about 3,000 have arrived so far this decade. Behind it all sits one of Ireland's oldest names: the surname O Cinneidigh, from Cennetig, an Old Irish byname meaning armoured head or misshapen head, take your pick, borne by the father of the high king Brian Boru. The -i ending does what modern American spelling does best, marking the name clearly for a girl while the surname sound keeps its stride.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Kennedi peaked in the 2010s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
310 people · the #18,629 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 500,000 · median age 21
Among people named Kennedi living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 20 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Kennedi
Most people given the name Kennedi in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Kennedi deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Kennedi truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Kennedi fits with your family’s names and surname.
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