Kenne
A German masculine name derived from a diminutive form of Kenneth.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Kenne. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kenne today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenne births was 1959 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenne. 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 Kenne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1959
6 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1988 SSA rank
#6,865
Tracked since 1959
Popularity
Kenne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenne from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kenne 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 Kenne 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 Kenne
The name Kenne has its origins in the Old English language, tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cyne," meaning "royal" or "noble." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to denote someone of noble birth or high social status.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kenne can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals that documented important events in early medieval England. In this text, there are references to individuals bearing the name, although their exact identities and dates are not always clear.
In the Middle Ages, the name Kenne gained popularity among the nobility and aristocracy of England. One notable figure from this time period was Kenne de Stafford, a 13th-century nobleman who served as a Knight Banneret under King Edward I. He was born around 1260 and played a significant role in the Welsh Wars of the late 13th century.
Another historical figure with the name Kenne was Kenne de Hastings, a Norman nobleman who lived in the 11th century. He was a member of the influential Hastings family and is mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
In the realm of literature, the name Kenne appears in some of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, the renowned English poet and author of the 14th century. In his collection of Canterbury Tales, there is a character named Kenne the Miller, who plays a prominent role in the narrative.
A more recent historical figure bearing the name Kenne was Kenne Digby, an English courtier, diplomat, and philosopher who lived during the 17th century. He was born in 1603 and is best known for his contributions to the fields of science and natural philosophy, as well as his involvement in the English Civil War.
While the name Kenne has its roots in Old English and was historically associated with nobility and social status, it has since become less common in modern times. However, its historical significance and connection to the Anglo-Saxon era continue to make it a distinctive and intriguing name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Kenne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenne 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
Kenne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenne 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Kenne a common name?
We classify Kenne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenne most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenne was 1959, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenne is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kenne a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kenne 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.