Given name & surname
Kenyatta
“one who is musically talented”
Kenyatta is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “one who is musically talented.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “one who is musically talented.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1961. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kenyatta through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,471
- 3,216 boys · 4,255 girls
- Most popular year
- 1975
- 443 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −40%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 77% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 217 in 1975. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,551 as a first name in 2020; 223 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.
Kenyatta’s family of names
Kenyatta has a related form in Kenya. Kenyatta has a related form in Kenyata. Kenyatta has a related form in Kenyat.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
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 Kenyatta
- Ken CarsonAmerican rapper (born 2000)
- BuckshotAmerican rapperborn 1974
- Ken JohnsonAmerican basketball player (born 1978)
- Kenyatta Jonesplayer of American football (1979-2018)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kenyatta, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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