Kenda
An Anglicized form of a Native American name of unknown meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 2,147 living Americans carry the first name Kenda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kenda today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenda births was 1964 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenda. 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
2.1K
~ 1 in 159,643 Americans
Peak year
1964
80 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,872
Tracked since 1941
Popularity
Kenda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenda from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 625 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kenda 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 Kenda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kendas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Texas, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Kenda, while Pennsylvania, New York, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kenda
The name Kenda has its origins in the Kikuyu language, spoken by the Kikuyu people of Kenya. It is thought to have derived from the Kikuyu word "kenda," which means "to journey" or "to travel." The name is believed to have been in use as early as the 16th century among the Kikuyu people, who have a rich cultural heritage and oral tradition.
While the name Kenda does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that it was used by the Kikuyu people in their oral histories and storytelling traditions. Unfortunately, many of these oral histories were not recorded or documented until more recent times.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kenda is from the late 19th century. Kenda Muriithi was a Kikuyu leader and warrior who played a significant role in the Kenyan resistance against British colonial rule in the late 1800s. He was born around 1860 and died in the early 20th century.
Another notable figure with the name Kenda is Kenda Muir, a Scottish artist and sculptor who lived from 1876 to 1944. She was known for her intricate woodcarvings and sculptures, many of which depicted scenes from Scottish folklore and mythology.
In the 20th century, Kenda Adrion was an American actress and singer who appeared in several Broadway productions and films in the 1940s and 1950s. She was born in 1920 and passed away in 2002.
Kenda Perez was a Peruvian politician and activist who fought for women's rights and indigenous rights in Peru. She served as a member of the Peruvian Congress from 1995 to 2000. Kenda Perez was born in 1952 and is still living.
Kenda Bright was an Australian artist and sculptor who worked primarily with ceramics and bronze. She was known for her abstract and figurative works that explored themes of nature and the human form. Kenda Bright was born in 1935 and died in 2018.
People
Kenda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenda 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
Kenda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,147 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenda 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 159,643 US residents.
Is Kenda a common name?
We classify Kenda as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,475 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenda most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenda was 1964, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenda is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kenda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kenda 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.