Kedric
A masculine name of Celtic origin meaning "commander," "leader," or "power."
Name Census estimates that about 904 living Americans carry the first name Kedric. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kedric today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kedric births was 1997 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kedric. 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.
People living today
904
~ 1 in 379,153 Americans
Peak year
1997
31 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,247
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Kedric: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kedric from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 217 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kedric 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 Kedric during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kedrics live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Louisiana, Alabama recorded the most babies named Kedric, while Alabama, Louisiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kedric
The name Kedric has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the elements "ced" meaning "battle" and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "power." It emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD.
This name was particularly popular among the nobility and ruling class of Anglo-Saxon England, as it reflected the ideals of strength, leadership, and military prowess valued by the warrior culture of the time. The earliest known written record of the name dates back to the 9th century, appearing in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of events in early medieval England.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the name Kedric was Kedric the Bold, a renowned Anglo-Saxon warlord who lived in the late 9th century. He was celebrated for his bravery and victories in battles against Viking invaders, defending the kingdom of Wessex under King Alfred the Great.
In the 11th century, Kedric of Mercia was a powerful nobleman and military commander who played a pivotal role in the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. He initially supported the Saxon King Harold Godwinson but later pledged allegiance to William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings.
Another historical figure with this name was Kedric the Scribe, a renowned monk and scholar who lived in the 12th century. He was known for his exceptional calligraphic skills and contributed significantly to the preservation of ancient manuscripts and religious texts through his meticulous copying work.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kedric remained popular among the English nobility, though its use became less widespread over time. One notable bearer was Sir Kedric de Lacy, a knight and landowner who lived in the 13th century and fought in the Barons' Wars against King John and Henry III.
In more recent history, Kedric Billings was an American author and poet who lived from 1885 to 1964. He gained recognition for his lyrical works celebrating nature and the landscapes of the American West, where he spent much of his life as a rancher and outdoorsman.
People
Kedric + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kedric 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
Kedric: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kedric?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 904 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kedric 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 379,153 US residents.
Is Kedric a common name?
We classify Kedric as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 960 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kedric most popular?
The single biggest year for Kedric was 1997, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kedric is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kedric a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kedric 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.
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.