Kenan
Of Arabic origin, meaning "seeker of truth or skilled one".
Name Census estimates that about 4,381 living Americans carry the first name Kenan. It is a predominantly male name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Kenan today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenan births was 2024 (187 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenan. 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
4.4K
~ 1 in 78,237 Americans
Peak year
2024
187 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,131
Tracked since 1947
Gender
Gender distribution for Kenan
Out of the 4,490 babies given the name Kenan since 1880, 99.3% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Kenan as a male name
- Ranked #1,131 in 2024
- 187 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (187 births)
Kenan as a female name
- Ranked #18,462 in 2010
- 5 female births in 2010
- Peak: 1991 (9 births)
Popularity
Kenan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenan from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,109 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kenan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kenan 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 Kenan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kenans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. North Carolina, California, New York recorded the most babies named Kenan, while Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 94 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kenan
The name Kenan has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name "Qenan," which means "to acquire" or "to possess." This name finds its earliest mention in the Book of Genesis, where Kenan is listed as one of the descendants of Adam.
In the biblical narrative, Kenan was the son of Enosh and the father of Mahalalel. He lived during the antediluvian period, before the great flood described in the book of Genesis. The name Kenan is also found in other ancient texts, such as the Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text from the 2nd century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kenan can be found in the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, which dates back to the 3rd century BCE. In this translation, the name is rendered as "Kainan."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kenan. One of the most famous was Kenan the Philosopher (c. 215-275 CE), a Neoplatonist philosopher from Emesa, Syria. He was a significant figure in the development of Neoplatonist thought and was a teacher of the renowned philosopher Porphyry.
Another prominent figure was Kenan Evren (1917-2015), a Turkish military officer and politician who served as the seventh President of Turkey from 1980 to 1989. He played a pivotal role in the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, which led to his presidency.
In the literary world, Kenan Malik (born 1962) is a renowned British writer, lecturer, and broadcaster. He has authored several books on topics such as race, religion, and science, and is known for his critical analysis of multiculturalism and identity politics.
Kenan Thompson (born 1978) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his long-running tenure on the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live." He has been a cast member since 2003 and is currently the longest-serving cast member in the show's history.
Lastly, Kenan Doğulu (born 1974) is a Turkish singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released several successful albums and is considered one of the most popular and influential figures in the Turkish music industry.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Kenan throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and cultures.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kenan
People
Kenan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenan 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
Kenan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,381 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenan 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 78,237 US residents.
Is Kenan a common name?
We classify Kenan as "Rare". It ranks above 96.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,490 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenan was 2024, when 187 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenan is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kenan a male name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Kenan 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.