Kenedi
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "ugly head".
Name Census estimates that about 999 living Americans carry the first name Kenedi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kenedi today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenedi births was 2007 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenedi. 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
999
~ 1 in 343,097 Americans
Peak year
2007
59 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,497
Tracked since 1994
Census
Kenedi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 828 people with the first name Kenedi, which placed it at #14,266 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,266
National first-name rank
People counted
828
828 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
45.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kenedi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kenedi is White at 45.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Hispanic (6.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kenedi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kenedi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.9% · 380
- Black or African American39.1% · 324
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 56
- Two or more races6.6% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Popularity
Kenedi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenedi from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 444 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kenedi 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 Kenedi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kenedis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, California recorded the most babies named Kenedi, while North Carolina, Illinois, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kenedi
The name Kenedi is a modern variant of the more traditional Kennedy, which has its origins in the Gaelic language of Ireland and Scotland. The name is derived from the words "ceann" meaning head or chief, and "eidigh" meaning armored or skilled. This suggests the name was likely used to refer to a leader or skilled warrior in ancient Celtic societies.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kennedy dates back to the 11th century, with references to the Cennetig clan in Scotland. This noble family was prominent in the region of Carrick, Ayrshire, and later played a significant role in Scottish history. One notable bearer of the name was Robert Kennedy, a 13th century Scottish nobleman who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In Ireland, the name Kennedy is associated with the O'Kennedys, a prominent family from County Tipperary. The earliest known member of this family was Giolla Cennedig Ó Cendubáin, who lived in the late 12th century. The O'Kennedys were influential in the region and held important positions within the Church and local government.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kennedy. One of the most famous was John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), the 35th President of the United States. His assassination in 1963 marked a turning point in American history. Other prominent figures include Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968), a U.S. Senator and Attorney General who was assassinated during his presidential campaign, and Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888-1969), a successful businessman and patriarch of the Kennedy family.
Beyond politics, the name has also been associated with notable figures in various fields. Edward M. Kennedy (1932-2009) was a long-serving U.S. Senator and a prominent voice in the Democratic Party. Walter Kennedy (1912-1977) was an American lawyer and sports executive who served as the second commissioner of the National Basketball Association. Nigel Kennedy (born 1956) is a renowned British violinist and violist known for his innovative interpretations of classical works.
While the name Kenedi is a modern variation, it retains the rich history and heritage of its Celtic roots, carrying the legacy of a name once borne by noble families, skilled warriors, and influential leaders across Ireland and Scotland.
People
Kenedi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenedi 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
Kenedi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenedi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 999 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenedi 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 343,097 US residents.
Is Kenedi a common name?
We classify Kenedi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,013 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenedi most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenedi was 2007, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenedi is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kenedi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 828 people with the name Kenedi, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,266 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kenedi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kenedi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kenedi leans strongly female. 808 people counted with this name were female (97.3%), compared with 22 male bearers (2.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kenedi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kenedi is White at 45.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Hispanic (6.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kenedi most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kenedi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.9% (380 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kenedi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kenedi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kenedi 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.
Is Kenedi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kenedi 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 Kenedi 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.
How many people have Kenedi as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.