Kenneth
Kenneth was given to 1,148 boys in 2025, #294 among boys’ names; 1,289,312 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 765,000 Americans named Kenneth and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (59% of everyone recorded); the median is 61 years old and half are between 45 and 71.
Kenneth is the #30 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Kenneth by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Kenneth mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Kenneth is “a male given name from Scottish Gaelic, originally used in Scotland, popular in all English-speaking countries in the 20th century.” Its etymology gives the sense “handsome” (literally).
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.
/ˈkɛn.əθ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Kenneth?
#294 among boys’ names, 2025
Kenneth fell from #198 in 2015 to #294 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 1.1 to 0.67 per 1,000.
28,145 babies in 1957, the peak
Kenneth peaked in 1957, when 28,145 babies were given it (28,064 boys, #14 among boys’ names). The 1,148 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,148 | #294 | 0.67 |
| 2024 | 1,190 | #284 | 0.69 |
| 2023 | 1,321 | #262 | 0.77 |
| 2022 | 1,312 | #263 | 0.75 |
| 2021 | 1,373 | #258 | 0.78 |
| 2020 | 1,483 | #243 | 0.86 |
| 2019 | 1,623 | #233 | 0.90 |
| 2018 | 1,671 | #225 | 0.92 |
| 2017 | 1,766 | #217 | 1.0 |
| 2016 | 1,921 | #208 | 1.0 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,033 | #198 | 1.1 |
| 2014 | 2,153 | #191 | 1.1 |
| 2013 | 2,177 | #187 | 1.2 |
| 2012 | 2,224 | #175 | 1.2 |
| 2011 | 2,217 | #170 | 1.2 |
| 2010 | 2,428 | #160 | 1.3 |
| 2009 | 2,612 | #151 | 1.3 |
| 2008 | 2,967 | #137 | 1.5 |
| 2007 | 3,108 | #135 | 1.5 |
| 2006 | 3,243 | #129 | 1.6 |
| 2005 | 3,368 | #122 | 1.7 |
| 2004 | 3,425 | #119 | 1.7 |
| 2003 | 3,643 | #111 | 1.8 |
| 2002 | 3,665 | #104 | 1.9 |
| 2001 | 3,907 | #97 | 2.0 |
| 2000 | 4,152 | #94 | 2.1 |
| 1999 | 4,285 | #89 | 2.2 |
| 1998 | 4,586 | #87 | 2.4 |
| 1997 | 4,659 | #83 | 2.5 |
| 1996 | 4,973 | #77 | 2.6 |
| 1995 | 5,226 | #72 | 2.7 |
| 1994 | 5,679 | #65 | 2.9 |
| 1993 | 6,276 | #60 | 3.2 |
| 1992 | 6,732 | #59 | 3.4 |
| 1991 | 7,576 | #54 | 3.7 |
| 1990 | 8,262 | #52 | 4.0 |
| 1989 | 8,555 | #53 | 4.3 |
| 1988 | 8,567 | #51 | 4.5 |
| 1987 | 8,354 | #53 | 4.5 |
| 1986 | 8,453 | #50 | 4.6 |
| 1985 | 8,992 | #47 | 4.9 |
| 1984 | 8,790 | #46 | 4.9 |
| 1983 | 8,965 | #45 | 5.0 |
| 1982 | 9,354 | #45 | 5.2 |
| 1981 | 9,472 | #41 | 5.3 |
| 1980 | 9,608 | #41 | 5.4 |
| 1979 | 9,236 | #41 | 5.4 |
| 1978 | 9,021 | #41 | 5.5 |
| 1977 | 9,452 | #39 | 5.8 |
| 1976 | 9,127 | #38 | 5.8 |
| 1975 | 9,634 | #35 | 6.2 |
| 1974 | 10,143 | #34 | 6.5 |
| 1973 | 10,979 | #28 | 7.0 |
| 1972 | 12,334 | #27 | 7.6 |
| 1971 | 14,763 | #25 | 8.3 |
| 1970 | 16,800 | #25 | 9.0 |
| 1969 | 17,553 | #23 | 9.8 |
| 1968 | 18,077 | #23 | 10.4 |
| 1967 | 19,263 | #22 | 11.0 |
| 1966 | 20,834 | #21 | 11.7 |
| 1965 | 22,677 | #21 | 12.2 |
| 1964 | 24,850 | #18 | 12.5 |
| 1963 | 25,235 | #18 | 12.4 |
| 1962 | 25,241 | #18 | 12.2 |
| 1961 | 26,100 | #16 | 12.3 |
| 1960 | 27,701 | #16 | 13.0 |
| 1959 | 26,640 | #15 | 12.5 |
| 1958 | 26,684 | #14 | 12.6 |
| 1957 | 28,064 | #14 | 13.0 |
| 1956 | 27,432 | #16 | 13.0 |
| 1955 | 26,743 | #15 | 13.0 |
| 1954 | 26,186 | #17 | 12.8 |
| 1953 | 25,507 | #17 | 12.9 |
| 1952 | 25,909 | #16 | 13.3 |
| 1951 | 25,841 | #16 | 13.7 |
| 1950 | 23,813 | #15 | 13.3 |
| 1949 | 23,589 | #15 | 13.3 |
| 1948 | 23,550 | #15 | 13.4 |
| 1947 | 24,586 | #15 | 13.4 |
| 1946 | 22,042 | #15 | 13.6 |
| 1945 | 18,096 | #16 | 13.4 |
| 1944 | 18,093 | #16 | 13.3 |
| 1943 | 19,112 | #15 | 13.4 |
| 1942 | 18,210 | #15 | 13.2 |
| 1941 | 16,143 | #15 | 13.1 |
| 1940 | 15,132 | #15 | 13.1 |
| 1939 | 14,715 | #13 | 13.3 |
| 1938 | 14,399 | #14 | 13.0 |
| 1937 | 13,219 | #14 | 12.4 |
| 1936 | 12,486 | #14 | 12.0 |
| 1935 | 12,067 | #15 | 11.6 |
| 1934 | 11,800 | #15 | 11.4 |
| 1933 | 11,410 | #15 | 11.5 |
| 1932 | 11,742 | #14 | 11.2 |
| 1931 | 11,568 | #14 | 11.1 |
| 1930 | 11,705 | #17 | 10.7 |
| 1929 | 10,841 | #18 | 10.1 |
| 1928 | 11,167 | #17 | 10.1 |
| 1927 | 10,848 | #18 | 9.6 |
| 1926 | 10,342 | #18 | 9.3 |
| 1925 | 10,146 | #19 | 9.1 |
| 1924 | 10,355 | #19 | 9.1 |
| 1923 | 9,734 | #21 | 8.9 |
| 1922 | 9,258 | #21 | 8.5 |
| 1921 | 8,959 | #22 | 8.1 |
| 1920 | 7,840 | #23 | 7.4 |
| 1919 | 6,796 | #26 | 6.9 |
| 1918 | 6,809 | #27 | 6.7 |
| 1917 | 6,141 | #27 | 6.6 |
| 1916 | 6,012 | #27 | 6.8 |
| 1915 | 5,681 | #28 | 6.7 |
| 1914 | 4,178 | #30 | 6.4 |
| 1913 | 3,065 | #33 | 6.0 |
| 1912 | 2,538 | #33 | 5.9 |
| 1911 | 1,148 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 1910 | 880 | #43 | 4.5 |
| 1909 | 746 | #41 | 4.5 |
| 1908 | 692 | #40 | 4.5 |
| 1907 | 589 | #47 | 4.0 |
| 1906 | 534 | #45 | 4.0 |
| 1905 | 474 | #53 | 3.6 |
| 1904 | 414 | #57 | 3.2 |
| 1903 | 330 | #67 | 2.8 |
| 1902 | 275 | #78 | 2.2 |
| 1901 | 246 | #78 | 2.3 |
| 1900 | 279 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1899 | 214 | #87 | 2.0 |
| 1898 | 191 | #100 | 1.6 |
| 1897 | 164 | #105 | 1.5 |
| 1896 | 175 | #106 | 1.5 |
| 1895 | 127 | #131 | 1.1 |
| 1894 | 105 | #145 | 0.91 |
| 1893 | 83 | #174 | 0.74 |
| 1892 | 102 | #157 | 0.84 |
| 1891 | 65 | #193 | 0.64 |
| 1890 | 72 | #189 | 0.65 |
| 1889 | 66 | #199 | 0.60 |
| 1888 | 45 | #267 | 0.37 |
| 1887 | 35 | #273 | 0.35 |
| 1886 | 38 | #278 | 0.34 |
| 1885 | 41 | #261 | 0.38 |
| 1884 | 28 | #333 | 0.24 |
| 1883 | 26 | #328 | 0.25 |
| 1882 | 22 | #383 | 0.19 |
| 1881 | 29 | #300 | 0.29 |
| 1880 | 32 | #297 | 0.29 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Kenneth a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Kenneth has been given almost only to boys: 5,338 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Kenneth: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Kenneth, and how old are they?
765,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 59% of the 1,289,312 Americans ever recorded as Kenneth. The median Kenneth alive today is 61 years old; half are between 45 and 71.
The 2020 Census counted 755,679 people named Kenneth (823 women and girls, 754,856 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 853,137 born in the U.S. The Census count is 11% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 55,500 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 323,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 193,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 118,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 53,600 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 21,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Kenneth born?
The states with the most babies named Kenneth are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 21% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 99,156 | #300 | 0.9× |
| California | 92,475 | #350 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 75,300 | #247 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 74,772 | #339 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 69,167 | #343 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 69,144 | #270 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 63,403 | #219 | 1.2× |
| New Jersey | 38,037 | #249 | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 36,830 | #273 | 1.0× |
| Missouri | 36,088 | #256 | 1.1× |
Where Kenneth is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Kenneth is most over-represented in Michigan: since 1910 it was given 1.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Kenneth with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 1,305,620 babies since 1880, Kenneth is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,148 of their 1,166 babies (98%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Kenneth
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Kenneth and names like it
- Compare Kenneth and KennithBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sKenneth peaked in 1957.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Kenneth since 1910.
- Scottish Gaelic namesWiktionary’s origin for Kenneth: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1957The year the most babies were named Kenneth.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Kenneth alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with KMost given first.