Boys' name · since 1947
Kenan
4,645 babies named Kenan in U.S. Social Security records since 1947, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,879 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,148 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,645
- born since 1947
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Kenan is the #1148 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 4,645 recorded since 1947.
Kenan has 4,645 recorded births among boys since 1947, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1148 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1947 to 2025.
- #1,879 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,148 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 4,645 born since 1947
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kenan ranks #1,879 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,148 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,645 born since 1947, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,879 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,148 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,645
- born since 1947
- 2010s
- peak decade
Kenan's 4,645 recorded births place it above 95.86% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
24 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kenan compares
4,645 Top 13% higher than 87% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Kenan's all-time total is 13x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kenan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,645 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 187 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kenan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kenan splits its recorded history at 1989: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1947 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2024 peak of 187 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kenan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1947–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 187
- Annual births at peak, across 79 years of records
Kenan popularity over time - girls
30 total births recorded since 1985 (Kenan as girls' name)
Kenan by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (1,104 births, 24% of the file).
2010s was Kenan's strongest decade.
1,104 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Kenan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 10
1940s
10 births
- 1950s 52
1950s
52 births
- 1960s 107
1960s
107 births
- 1970s 258
1970s
258 births
- 1980s 350
1980s
350 births
- 1990s
1990s
770 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,045 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,104 births
- 2020s
2020s
949 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,104 births (24% of all-time use).
How Kenan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Kenan's total volume
Kenan by state
Where Kenan concentrates geographically, total births since 1947
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 324 | 7.0% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 319 | 6.9% |
| #3 | New York | | 305 | 6.6% |
| #4 | Texas | | 253 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 202 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Florida | | 165 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 154 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 117 | 2.5% |
324 of 4,645 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 24 reporting states.
Kenan appears in 24 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Kenan's data
- Kenan's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,104 total births) through the 2020s (949) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Kenans (324 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kenan
Nearby Names Like Kenan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kenan
Compare Kenan side by side: Kenan vs Kenneth Kenan vs Kent Kenan vs Kenny
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kenan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kenan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~78 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1947–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Kenan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.