Given name & surname · also Old English, Middle English
Kemp
“the champion”
Kemp is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “the champion.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “the champion.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Middle English and Old English naming traditions.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Kemp through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,306
- 1,306 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 31 babies
- 2025
- 20
- #4,954 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +9%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 20 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,954 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 9.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 31 in 1957. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 819 as a first name in 2020; 44,426 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kemp’s family of names
Kemp has a related form in Kempe. Kemp has a related form in Kempee. Kemp has a related form in Kempey.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kemp
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kemp, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ken
“born of fire” · “handsome, fair one”
>99% boys
Kent
“from the edge or border”
>99% boys
Kipp
“from the small pointed hill”
>99% boys
Carlton
“from the free man's town”
>99% boys
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
>99% boys
Ted
“a gift from God” · “having heart”
>99% boys
Chip
“one who bears Christ inside”
>99% boys
Jim
“he who supplants” · “heel grabber”
>99% boys