ninan.org

Kenneth

Boys' name · Mid-century perennial

Living in the US
~807,500 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#294 among boys
Births in 2025
1,148 1,289,312 since 1880
Typical age
61 years, median

Kenneth popularity over time

Kenneth rank by birth year, 1880–2025Kenneth ranked #291 in 1880 and #294 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #13, in 1939.#100#294best #13 in 193918901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1880–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

Kenneth was used most in 1957, when 28,145 babies were given the name. It appears in the very first year SSA covers, 1880. It has held a top-100 place in 104 separate years.

As of 2025 the name sits at #294, with 1,148 births that year. Over ten years the count has fallen 44%.

Babies named Kenneth per yearPeaks at 28,145 births in 1957.28,145 in 1957018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named Kenneth?

An estimated 807,500 living Americans are called Kenneth. SSA has recorded 1,289,312 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average Kenneth?

Half of living Kenneths are older than 61, half younger. The 1960s produced the largest surviving cohort. By the site’s era rules that makes Kenneth a mid-century perennial name.

Your Kenneth

Ages of living people named KennethHalf of living Kenneths are older than 61 and half younger.median 61020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where Kenneth is most common

Relative to births, West Virginia carries 2.2× the national share of Kenneths. Mississippi, Alaska and Arkansas follow.

Where Kenneth is used more than average5 states use the name Kenneth more than the national average.Alaska: 1.9× the national rateAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: not over-representedWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: 1.8× the national rateKYWest Virginia: 2.2× the national rateWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: 1.9× the national rateARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: not over-representedDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: 2.1× the national rateMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where Kenneth is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
West Virginia 116 2.2×
Mississippi 198 2.1×
Alaska 38 1.9×
Arkansas 191 1.9×
Kentucky 300 1.8×

Kenneth in England and Wales

In England and Wales, Kenneth ranked #1,007 in 2025 on 30 births. That is 30% higher than five years earlier.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name Kenneth comes from

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

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named Kenneth

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
Kenneth Kaunda First president of Zambia 1924–2021 74
Kenneth Arrow American economist 1921–2017 72
Kenneth Branagh British actor and filmmaker 1960 70
Kenneth G. Wilson Nobel prize winning US physicist 1936–2013 69
Kenneth MacAlpin King of the Picts 810–858 55
Kenneth Grahame British novelist 1859–1932 53
Kenneth III of Scotland King of Alba 1000–1005 39
Kenneth II of Scotland 10th century King of Alba (Scotland) 932–995 39
Photo credits (8)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 1,148 in 1911 to 2,549 in 1912 — 2.2 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/kenneth.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).