Given name
Kenya
“an innocent; from the country of Kenya”
In Russian use, Kenya is used as an affectionate form of Innokenti.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “an innocent; from the country of Kenya.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
How it developed
In Russian use, Kenya is used as an affectionate form of Innokenti.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1952. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Russian use, Kenya is an affectionate form of Innokenti. The history of Innokenti gives this family its wider story. Innokenti’s historical associations include various early saints venerated in the Eastern Church, including the leader of a group of thirty-two martyrs.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Kenya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 27,553
- 2,141 boys · 25,412 girls
- Most popular year
- 1973
- 1,039 babies
- 2025
- 71
- #2,499 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −49%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 2% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 71 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,499 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 47.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 894 in 1973. In 2025, Florida and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 22,943 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kenya’s family of names
Kenya is an affectionate form of Innokenti. In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Kenya shares a linguistic root with the German form Kenia. Kenya has a related form in Kenyatta.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Kenya
- Kenya MooreAmerican actress, model, author, and entrepreneurborn 1971
- Kenya Kinski-JonesAmerican fashion modelborn 1993
- Kenya D. WilliamsonAmerican writerborn 1945
- Kenya MoriMexican actressborn 1976
- Kenya GraceSouth African-born British singer, songwriter, and record producerborn 1998
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Kenya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Karyn
“one who is pure; virginal”
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Kansas
Kansas is used as a given name and a surname. One Native American interpretation is “of the south wind people; from the state of Kansas.”
18% boys · 82% girls
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“follower of Christ”
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Suzan
“resembling a graceful white lily”
>99% girls