Given name & surname
Kenney
“born of fire”·“handsome, fair one”·“born of the fire; an attractive man”
Kenney connects to the Kenneth name family through Ken. Interpretations include “born of fire”, “handsome, fair one”, and “born of the fire; an attractive man” (Irish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Kenney connects to the Kenneth name family through Ken. Interpretations include “born of fire”, “handsome, fair one”, and “born of the fire; an attractive man” (Irish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Kenney connects to the Kenneth name family through Ken. An origin associated with Kenneth is Irish.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1899. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kenney through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,505
- 2,500 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 1960
- 94 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 2020. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 94 in 1960. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,434 as a first name in 2020; 26,131 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.
Kenney’s family of names
Kenney has a related form in Ken. In Greek usage, Kenney as a surname is a transliteration of Κέννεϋ.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kenney
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kenney, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cornell
“refers to a horn”
>99% boys
Kemp
“the champion”
>99% boys
Kent
“from the edge or border”
>99% boys
Cary
“from the river” · “from the fort on the hill”
95% boys · 5% girls
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
>99% boys
Rickey
“a powerful ruler”
>99% boys
Ernie
“one who is sincere and determined; serious”
>99% boys
Donell
“ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior”
>99% boys