Given name & surname · also Cornish
Kendall
“from the royal valley”
Kendall is used as a given name and a surname. One Welsh interpretation is “from the royal valley.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Welsh interpretation is “from the royal valley.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Welsh and Cornish naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1906. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kendall through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 101,883
- 35,350 boys · 66,533 girls
- Most popular year
- 2011
- 3,004 babies
- 2025
- 1,095
- #328 for girls · #1,232 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −23%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 15% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 932 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 328 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 23.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 2,625 in 2012. It also appeared in 163 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (72). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 83,086 as a first name in 2020; 28,998 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.
Kendall’s family of names
Kendall has a related form in Kendal. Kendall has a related form in Kendell. Kendall has a related form in Kendyl.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 16
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.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Kendall
- Kendall JennerAmerican media personality and model (born 1995)
- Kendall SchmidtAmerican musician, singer, songwriter and actorborn 1990
- Kendall WastonCosta Rican footballerborn 1988
- Kendall EllisAmerican sprinterborn 1996
- Kendall MarshallAmerican basketball player (born 1991)
- Kendall GillBritish basketball playerborn 1968
- Kendall CrossOlympic wrestlerborn 1968
- Kendall Coyne SchofieldAmerican ice hockey playerborn 1992
- Kendall FletcherAmerican soccer playerborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Kendall, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kara
“one who is pure” · “dearly loved”
>99% girls
Elen
“the shining light”
>99% girls
Talaith
“one who wears a royal crown”
>99% girls
Boudicca
“a victorious queen”
13% boys · 87% girls
Ella
“from a foreign land”
>99% girls
Kinsey
“the king's victory” · “the victorious prince”
>99% girls
ᚐᚃᚔᚈᚈᚑᚏᚔᚌᚓᚄ
“life, age”
>99% girls
Kimber
“of the royal fortress”
3% boys · 97% girls