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Kenneth

boy name
Origin
Scottish
Syllables
2
Peak era
1940s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Kenneth and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

handsome; born of fire

Goes by Ken, Kenna, Kenny. See all nicknames

The story

Kenneth is two Gaelic names wearing one English coat. It anglicizes both Coinneach, from the Old Irish caín, handsome and good, and Cináed, a royal name of uncertain origin whose ending may reach back to the Old Irish word for fire. The Cináed in question is Cináed mac Ailpín, the ninth-century king traditionally counted the first king of Scots, though modern historians credit him with founding a dynasty rather than a nation. Walter Scott gave the name to the hero of The Talisman in 1825 and helped carry it out of Scotland. In America it climbed steadily from the 1910s to a peak in the 1940s, then spent the rest of the century easing without ever leaving; Kenny kept it warm. Handsome on one side, fire on the other: two names folded into one.

More names with stories →

How popular is Kenneth around the world?

In the United States, 7,827 babies were named Kenneth between 2020 and 2025.

Kenneth is on the official records of the United States, Canada, Scotland, Mexico City, South Australia, England and Wales, Chile, Spain, France and Brazil.

United States

1 in 2,800

In the United States, 7,827 babies were named Kenneth between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1940s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Kenneth peaked in the 1940s. Kenneth went to 2,033 US babies in 2015 and 1,148 in 2025, 56% of the earlier figure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Canada

1 in 7,000

In Canada, 52 boys named Kenneth were born in 2024, the 536th most common name among boys that year.

peak 19912024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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Scotland

1 in 9,200

In Scotland, 5 boys named Kenneth were registered in 2024, the 535th most common name among boys that year.

peak 19752024

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Mexico City City

1 in 9,800

In Mexico City, there were 12 registrations of Kenneth in 2022.

2000peak 2019

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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South Australia

1 in 18,000 · 2017

In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Kenneth in 2017.

peak 19442017

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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England and Wales

1 in 20,000

In England and Wales, 30 boys named Kenneth were born in 2025, ranked 1,007th among boys that year.

peak 19962025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

Chile

1 in 30,000

In Chile, 6 boys were registered as Kenneth in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 1999

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Spain

1 in 53,000

In Spain, 845 residents are named Kenneth, ranked 1,563rd among men, with a mean age of 41.7 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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France

1 in 130,000

In France, about 5 boys named Kenneth were born in 2025, ranked 3,541st among boys that year.

1920peak 19602025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Brazil

1 in 330,000

At the 2022 census, 535 people in Brazil were named Kenneth, ranked 12,754th, with a median age of 26.
Among people named Kenneth living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.

1950speak 1990s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 33 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Argentina

last on record 2023

Kenneth is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.

2012peak 20182024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Austria

last on record 2022

Kenneth is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Ireland

last on record 2024

Kenneth is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.

peak 19742025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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Montevideo City

last on record 2005

Kenneth is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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New South Wales

outside the top 100

Kenneth is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.

peak 19522025

share of that year’s top-100 registrations

New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names

See the full list for New South Wales →

New Zealand

last on record 2019

Kenneth is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

1900peak 19442025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Norway

last on record 2021

Kenneth is not on the 2025 record for Norway, where names carried by fewer than 4 people in a year are withheld at source.

1945peak 19782025

share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

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Puerto Rico

last on record 2022

Kenneth is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 2,128 babies have carried the name there since 1998.

peak 19992025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

See the full list for Puerto Rico →

Not on the record in Poland: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Kenneth

Most people given the name Kenneth in the United States were born between 1950 and 1989. The Kenneth you meet today is most often in his 50s or 60s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Kenneth

Grant Blaine Bryce Blair Reid Gordon

Keep exploring

Nicknames for Kenneth · Chinese American baby names · Climbers and fallers

Name trails: explore connections from Kenneth →

The Kenneth deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Kenneth 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 Kenneth fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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