Kendrew
From the Old English words ken "knowledge" and trew "tree", suggesting wisdom and growth.
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the first name Kendrew. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kendrew today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kendrew births was 1999 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kendrew. 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
108
~ 1 in 3,173,651 Americans
Peak year
1999
12 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,155
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Kendrew: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kendrew 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 40 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kendrew remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kendrew 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 Kendrew 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 Kendrew
The name Kendrew is a relatively modern invention, first appearing in the late 19th century. It is believed to be a combination of the English given names Kenneth and Andrew, likely created as a unique amalgamation of these two more common names. The name does not have deep historical roots or direct ties to any specific language or culture of origin.
Despite its recent origins, the name Kendrew has gained some prominence in the 20th century, particularly in the field of science. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Sir John Cowdery Kendrew, a British biochemist born in 1917. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1962 for his pioneering work in determining the first atomic structures of proteins using X-ray crystallography.
Another notable bearer of the name was Kendrew Lascelles Laing, a British jazz saxophonist and bandleader who was active in the mid-20th century. Born in 1917, he was a prominent figure in the British jazz scene and led his own orchestra for several decades.
In the world of literature, Kendrew Frazier Porten was an American author and journalist born in 1943. He is best known for his work as a war correspondent and his book "Hitchhiking Vietnam: A Woman's Solo Misadventurements Across Vietnam," which chronicled her experiences traveling through the country during the Vietnam War.
Moving to the realm of sports, Kendrew Wolfe was a professional baseball player from the United States. Born in 1947, he played as an outfielder for several Major League Baseball teams, including the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees, during the 1970s and 1980s.
Finally, Kendrew Lascelles White was a British artist and painter who lived from 1936 to 2015. He was known for his abstract expressionist works and was a prominent figure in the London art scene during the latter half of the 20th century.
While the name Kendrew may not have a deep historical lineage, it has gained recognition through the accomplishments of these individuals in various fields, solidifying its place as a unique and modern given name.
People
Kendrew + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kendrew 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
Kendrew: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kendrew?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 108 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kendrew 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 3,173,651 US residents.
Is Kendrew a common name?
We classify Kendrew as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 109 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kendrew most popular?
The single biggest year for Kendrew was 1999, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kendrew is about 18 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 Kendrew in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kendrew a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kendrew 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 Kendrew still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kendrew 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 Kendrew 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 Americans are named Kendrew?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.