Kennedi
A feminine form of the Irish surname Kennedy, originally meaning "descendant of the helmeted chief."
Name Census estimates that about 14,990 living Americans carry the first name Kennedi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kennedi today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kennedi births was 2015 (848 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kennedi. 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
- • Kennedi is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
15K
~ 1 in 22,866 Americans
Peak year
2015
848 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2008 SSA rank
#685
Tracked since 1989
Gender
Gender distribution for Kennedi
Out of the 15,150 babies given the name Kennedi since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Kennedi as a male name
- Ranked #13,640 in 2008
- 5 male births in 2008
- Peak: 2004 (5 births)
Kennedi as a female name
- Ranked #685 in 2024
- 414 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (848 births)
Popularity
Kennedi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kennedi from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 7,082 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kennedi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kennedi 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 Kennedi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kennedis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Kennedi, while Oregon, Idaho, Delaware recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 337 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kennedi
The name Kennedi is a relatively modern name that emerged in the 20th century. It is likely derived from the Irish surname Kennedy, which itself is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Cinnéideigh. The Gaelic name is believed to have originated from the word "cinnéidigh," meaning "descendant of the ugly-headed one."
While the name Kennedi does not have a long historical lineage, it gained popularity in the United States after the election of President John F. Kennedy in 1960. Kennedi became a fashionable name for baby girls, perhaps as a tribute to the charismatic Kennedy family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kennedi was in 1962, when American actress and model Kennedi Finlayson was born. However, the name did not gain widespread usage until the late 20th century.
Several notable individuals have borne the first name Kennedi throughout history. One example is Kennedi Dickson (1915-1992), an American tennis player who competed in the U.S. Championships and Wimbledon in the 1940s.
Another prominent figure was Kennedi Kai Olesen (1913-1992), a Danish-American artist known for her abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures.
In the field of literature, Kennedi Taylor (1923-2008) was an American author and poet known for her works exploring African American culture and experiences.
Additionally, Kennedi Huff (1935-2018) was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1986 to 1993.
Kennedi Carpenter (1942-2001) was an American country music singer and songwriter who achieved success in the 1970s with hits like "Lonely Street" and "Warm Lovin' Arms."
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the first name Kennedi throughout history, showcasing its emergence and usage in various fields and regions.
People
Kennedi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kennedi 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
Kennedi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kennedi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14,990 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kennedi 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 22,866 US residents.
Is Kennedi a common name?
We classify Kennedi as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15,150 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kennedi most popular?
The single biggest year for Kennedi was 2015, when 848 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kennedi is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kennedi a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Kennedi 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.