Girls' name · since 1936
Kendra
Since 1936, U.S. Social Security records show 98,438 babies named Kendra, peaking in 1987. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #382 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #850 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 98,438
- born since 1936
- 1980s
- peak decade
98,438 babies have been named Kendra since 1936, making it today's #850 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Kendra recorded 98,438 times among girls since 1936, holding rank #850 nationally today, ahead of 95% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1936 to 2025.
- #382 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #850 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 98,438 born since 1936
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kendra ranks #382 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #850 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 98,438 born since 1936, peaking in the 1980s.
- #382 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #850 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 98,438
- born since 1936
- 1980s
- peak decade
Kendra's 98,438 recorded births place it above 99.47% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kendra compares
98,438 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Kendra's all-time total is 262x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kendra | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 98,438 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,841 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kendra's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kendra splits its recorded history at 1981: 75% of all births land in the more recent half, 25% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1937 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1987 peak of 3,841 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kendra popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1936–2025
- Peak year (1987)
- 3,841
- Annual births at peak, across 90 years of records
Kendra popularity over time - boys
350 total births recorded since 1971 (Kendra as boys' name)
Kendra by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (24,387 births, 25% of the file).
1980s was Kendra's strongest decade.
24,387 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Kendra births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 33
1930s
33 births
- 1940s 523
1940s
523 births
- 1950s 1,568
1950s
1,568 births
- 1960s 5,334
1960s
5,334 births
- 1970s
1970s
15,661 births
- 1980s
1980s
24,387 births
- 1990s
1990s
23,972 births
- 2000s
2000s
14,237 births
- 2010s
2010s
10,188 births
- 2020s 2,535
2020s
2,535 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 24,387 births (25% of all-time use).
How Kendra compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Kendra's total volume
Kendra by state
Where Kendra concentrates geographically, total births since 1936
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 8,523 | 8.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 8,163 | 8.3% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 4,995 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 4,351 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 4,242 | 4.3% |
| #6 | New York | | 3,800 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 3,647 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Florida | | 3,293 | 3.3% |
8,523 of 98,438 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kendra appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kendra? ▼
Where does Kendra sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kendra most popular? ▼
Where is Kendra most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kendra been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kendra? ▼
What to do with Kendra's data
- Kendra's decade-level peak was the 1980s (24,387 total births); usage has since declined to 2,535 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kendras (8,523 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 Kendra
Nearby Names Like Kendra
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kendra
Compare Kendra side by side: Kendra vs Kennedy Kendra vs Kendall Kendra vs Kenya
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kendra
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kendra: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1987)
Similar record span (~89 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, 1936–2025 (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 Kendra 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.