Kenneth

Did you know?

A few things about Kenneth you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Kenneth

Kenneth Arrow

American economist (1921–2017)

Choose Kenneth and your child shares a first name with Kenneth Arrow, an American economist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Kenneth, like who?” Kenneth Arrow's Wikipedia article is available in 72 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Kenneth Arrow on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,488 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Kenneth, 1,148 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Kenneth would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryKenneth has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Kenneths, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1939, when it ranked #13. Today it's #294, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowKenneth was 3.1× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 473 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 1,488.
• 🍂TrendKenneth has slipped 51 places over the last five years and now sits at #294. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedKenneth is most popular in Alaska, where it ranks #110, followed by Washington, D.C. (#168) and West Virginia (#200). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Scottish, Kenneth means “handsome”. Our records link it to Celtic, English and Irish roots.

About the name Kenneth

Kenneth is a boy name of Celtic, English and Irish origin meaning “handsome”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with K and ending in “-eth”. US birth records list Kenneth for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1939, when it ranked #13 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #294, with 1,148 babies.

Origin:Celtic namesEnglish namesIrish namesScottish names