boy's name
Kenneth
KEN-eth
- Origin Scottish Gaelic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 1,307,274
the United States
#294
2025 births
Kenneth is a boy's name anglicizing two separate Gaelic names, one meaning born of fire and one meaning handsome. Scotland's first king bore it, yet it now ranks 583rd in Scotland and 294th in the United States — better used in America than in its own country.
- Kenneth is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin.
- Peaked in 1957, when 28,145 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,888 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kenneth over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 362 |
| 1890s | 1,298 |
| 1900s | 4,591 |
| 1910s | 43,451 |
| 1920s | 100,068 |
| 1930s | 125,633 |
| 1940s | 199,075 |
| 1950s | 263,535 |
| 1960s | 228,556 |
| 1970s | 112,247 |
| 1980s | 89,841 |
| 1990s | 58,443 |
| 2000s | 34,155 |
| 2010s | 20,230 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,827 |
What Kenneth means
Kenneth carries two meanings because it renders two different Gaelic names. From Cináed it means born of fire; from Coinneach it means handsome or comely. Both are genuine and the name is used under each.
Where Kenneth comes from
Kenneth is a collision. English officials used it for the Gaelic Cináed, generally read as born of fire, and equally for Coinneach, meaning handsome or comely — two unrelated names flattened into one spelling by administrative convenience, the same process that turned Aodh into Hugh. Cináed mac Ailpín, conventionally Kenneth I, is counted as the first king of the Scots in the ninth century and is the reason the name carries royal weight. Coinneach survives separately in Scottish Gaelic and is still used, so in Gaelic-speaking areas the two names remain distinct while English has only ever had the one word for both.
Kenneth in use
Kenneth peaked in the United States in 1957, when 28,145 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 294th in the United States on 1,148 births but only 583rd in Scotland, 1025th in England and Wales and 6070th in France, across 1,307,274 lifetime births. A Scottish royal name ranking nearly three hundred places higher in America than in Scotland is the mark of a name that emigrated more successfully than it stayed.
How popular is Kenneth?
In 2025, Kenneth was given to 1,148 babies in the United States, ranking #294 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Kenneth is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Kenneth
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kenneth also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kenneth over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Kenneth
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Kenneth in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Kenneth
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kenneth — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kenneth
What does the name Kenneth mean?
Born of fire, or handsome — it renders two different Gaelic names, Cináed and Coinneach.
Is Kenneth a Scottish name?
Yes. Cináed mac Ailpín, counted as the first king of the Scots, is conventionally called Kenneth I.
Why does Kenneth have two meanings?
English used one spelling for two unrelated Gaelic names, the same flattening that turned Aodh into Hugh.
How popular is Kenneth?
294th in the United States but only 583rd in Scotland — better used abroad than at home.
Is Kenneth a girl's or a boy's name?
Kenneth is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Kenneth?
Kenneth has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Kenneth?
Kenneth is usually shortened to Ken and Kenny.
Is Kenneth a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kenneth currently ranks #294 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.