Kadenn
A masculine name of French origin meaning "fighter" or "battler".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Kadenn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kadenn today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kadenn births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kadenn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kadenn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2012 SSA rank
#11,508
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Kadenn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kadenn from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kadenn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kadenn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kadenn
The given name Kadenn has its origins in the ancient Celtic languages, derived from the Proto-Celtic root *kadun, which means "battle" or "war". This root is also found in the Welsh word "cadarn", meaning "mighty" or "valiant". The name likely originated in the regions of present-day Ireland, Wales, and parts of England during the Iron Age, around the 5th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name can be found in the medieval Welsh chronicle, the Annales Cambriae, where a figure named Kadenn ap Meurig is mentioned as a warrior who fought against the invading Saxons in the 6th century CE. The name also appears in the Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh tales, where a character named Kadenn is described as a skilled archer.
In the 9th century CE, a Breton leader named Kadenn Vychan (Kadenn the Little) is recorded as leading a successful rebellion against the Frankish king Louis the Pious. This Kadenn is celebrated in Breton folklore as a symbol of resistance against foreign occupation.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kadenn was relatively common among Welsh and Breton nobility. One notable figure was Kadenn ap Rhys, a 12th-century Welsh prince who fought against the Norman invaders and is remembered for his bravery in battle.
In the 16th century, a Scottish nobleman named Kadenn Macleod is recorded as leading his clan in the Battle of Lochaber against the forces of the Earl of Huntly. Despite being outnumbered, Macleod's men emerged victorious, earning him a reputation as a skilled military strategist.
Moving into the modern era, the name Kadenn has been relatively uncommon, but a few notable individuals have borne this name. Kadenn Wylie was a 19th-century Scottish poet and songwriter, known for his works celebrating the beauty of the Scottish Highlands. In the 20th century, Kadenn Griffiths was a Welsh rugby player who represented his country in the 1960s and became known for his physical style of play.
People
Kadenn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kadenn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kadenn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kadenn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kadenn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Kadenn a common name?
We classify Kadenn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kadenn most popular?
The single biggest year for Kadenn was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kadenn is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kadenn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kadenn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kadenn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kadenn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kadenn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kadenn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Kadenn?
Find out how many Americans are named Kadenn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.