Kendu
Of African origin, meaning "young king" or "little chief".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Kendu. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kendu today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kendu births was 1983 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kendu. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kendu. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1983
5 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1989 SSA rank
#8,607
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Kendu: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kendu 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 Kendu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kendu
The name Kendu has its roots in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "kenduka," which means "ball" or "sphere." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have originally been associated with sports or games involving balls in early Indian culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kendu can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Kendu is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought alongside the Pandava princes during the great Kurukshetra war. This reference places the name's historical usage back to at least the 4th century BCE.
During the Maurya Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from 322 BCE to 185 BCE, there are records of a renowned scholar and philosopher named Kendu Acharya. He is credited with contributing to the development of the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy, which focused on logic and epistemology.
In the 12th century CE, a famous Sufi mystic and poet named Kendu Lal Shahbaz lived in present-day Pakistan. His poetic works, which celebrated divine love and spiritual enlightenment, have been preserved and continue to be studied by Sufi scholars and devotees.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of South Asia from the 16th to the 19th centuries, there was a notable figure named Kendu Khan. He was a military commander and governor who served under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and played a crucial role in quelling rebellions and maintaining the empire's control over various territories.
In more recent history, Kendu Darji (1904-1988) was an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer. He actively participated in the Indian independence movement and fought against the discriminatory practices of the caste system. After India's independence, he continued to work towards the upliftment of marginalized communities and advocated for social equality.
While the name Kendu has its origins in ancient India, it has been embraced by people across various cultures and regions over the centuries. Its historical significance and association with notable figures have contributed to its enduring appeal as a unique and meaningful name choice.
People
Kendu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kendu 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
Kendu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kendu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kendu 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Kendu a common name?
We classify Kendu as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kendu most popular?
The single biggest year for Kendu was 1983, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kendu is about 38 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 Kendu in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kendu a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kendu 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 Kendu still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kendu 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 Kendu 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 Kendu?
See how many people have the name Kendu on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.