Given name & surname · also Irish
Kenneth
“born of fire”·“handsome, fair one”·“born of the fire; an attractive man”
Kenneth is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “born of fire”, “handsome, fair one”, and “born of the fire; an attractive man” (Irish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original IrishCináed
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “born of fire”, “handsome, fair one”, and “born of the fire; an attractive man” (Irish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
This form developed as an English adaptation of a name used in another language.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kenneth through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,289,312
- 1,283,974 boys · 5,338 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 28,145 babies
- 2025
- 1,148
- #294 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −25%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,148 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 294 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 25.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 28,064 in 1957. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (111). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 755,679 as a first name in 2020; 1,033 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.
Kenneth’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Kenneth has a short form in Kent. Kenneth has a feminine form in Kenna. Kenneth has a related form in Kennith.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Kenneth has relatives in 18 languages. Lines run from its Irish roots to each of them.
Irishwhere Kenneth comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 18
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kenneth
- Kenneth KaundaFirst president of Zambia (1924–2021)
- Kenny RogersAmerican country singer (1938–2020)
- Kenneth ArrowAmerican economist (1921–2017)
- Kenneth BranaghBritish actor and filmmaker (born 1960)
- Kenneth G. WilsonNobel prize winning US physicist1936–2013
- Ken ThompsonAmerican programmer and computer scientist, co-creator of the Unix operating system (born 1943)
- Kenny DalglishScottish association football player and managerborn 1951
- Ken FollettBritish novelist (born 1949)
- Ken LoachEnglish film director and screenwriter (born 1936)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kenneth, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kevin
“a beloved and handsome man”
>99% boys
Neil
“the champion”
>99% boys
Donald
“ruler of the world”
>99% boys
Keith
“man from the forest”
>99% boys
Barry
“a fair-haired man”
>99% boys
Brian
“noble” · “of noble birth”
>99% boys
Gregor
“watchful” · “one who is vigilant; watch-”
>99% boys
Conchúr
“hound” · “desiring”
>99% boys