Kenneth

Boy name

Kenneth has been given to 1,289,312 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1957 and currently ranks #294 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /ˈkɛn.əθ/

Anglicized form of two Goidelic names, Old Irish Cináed, the name of Scottish kings derived from Pictish *ᚉᚔᚅᚔᚑᚇ (Ciniod), and the saint's name Cainnech (literally “handsome”) (modern Scottish Gaelic Coinneach), as in the surname Mackenzie.

Origin: Scottish Gaelic

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

1,289,312

Peak year

1957 (28,145 babies)

Rank in 2025

#294 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▼ -44%

Gender split

0% girls / 100% boys

Famous people named Kenneth

Kenneth Kaunda

First president of Zambia (1924–2021)

Kenny Rogers

American country singer (1938–2020)

Kenneth Arrow

American economist (1921–2017)

Ken Kesey

American novelist (1935–2001)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Kenneth.

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