Kenadee
A feminine name derived from the Cherokee word "kenahitenah" meaning "first-born child".
Name Census estimates that about 1,839 living Americans carry the first name Kenadee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kenadee today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenadee births was 2010 (125 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenadee. 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
- • Kenadee is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 186,381 Americans
Peak year
2010
125 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,509
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Kenadee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenadee from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 856 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kenadee 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 Kenadee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kenadees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 27 states and territories. Utah, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Kenadee, while Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kenadee
The name Kenadee is believed to have its origins in the Gaelic language, which was spoken by the Celts of ancient Scotland and Ireland. This name is thought to be a combination of the Gaelic words "cen" meaning "ancient" or "old," and "aide" meaning "fire" or "blaze." Thus, the name Kenadee can be interpreted as "ancient fire" or "old blaze."
The earliest known records of this name date back to the 12th century, when it was used by several Scottish clans as a clan name or a personal name. It is possible that the name was initially used to describe a person who lived near an ancient or long-standing fire pit or hearth, which was an important gathering place for Celtic communities.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Kenadee was a Scottish warrior named Kenadee MacGregor, who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence against the English in the early 14th century. MacGregor's bravery and skill in battle earned him a reputation as a fierce and formidable warrior, and his name became associated with strength and courage.
In the 16th century, a Scottish poet named Kenadee Douglas gained recognition for his lyrical works celebrating the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the valor of its people. Douglas's poetry helped to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Scotland and contributed to the development of Scottish literature.
Another notable figure with the name Kenadee was an Irish chieftain named Kenadee O'Donnell, who led his clan in battles against English forces during the Tudor conquest of Ireland in the late 16th century. O'Donnell's resistance to English rule and his defense of traditional Irish customs and lands earned him a place in Irish folklore as a symbol of national pride and defiance.
During the 17th century, a Scottish explorer named Kenadee Munro embarked on several voyages to the Americas and the Caribbean, where he documented his encounters with indigenous peoples and their cultures. Munro's detailed accounts and maps of the regions he visited contributed greatly to the expansion of European knowledge about the New World.
While the name Kenadee has its roots in ancient Celtic cultures, it has endured over the centuries and continues to be used today, particularly in English-speaking countries with Celtic heritage. The name's connection to fire and antiquity lends it a sense of strength, endurance, and historical significance.
People
Kenadee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenadee 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
Kenadee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenadee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,839 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenadee 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 186,381 US residents.
Is Kenadee a common name?
We classify Kenadee as "Rare". It ranks above 93.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,861 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenadee most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenadee was 2010, when 125 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenadee is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kenadee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kenadee in the SSA data are female. 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.