Kenneshia
A feminine name with uncertain origin; potentially a blend of 'Kendra' and 'Tasha'.
Name Census estimates that about 68 living Americans carry the first name Kenneshia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kenneshia today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenneshia births was 1992 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenneshia. 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 Kenneshia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
68
~ 1 in 5,040,505 Americans
Peak year
1992
8 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2000 SSA rank
#14,066
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Kenneshia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenneshia from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 41 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kenneshia 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 Kenneshia 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 Kenneshia
The name Kenneshia has its origins in the ancient Mesopotamian region, specifically in the Sumerian culture that flourished around 3500 BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sumerian words "ken-nesh-ia," which roughly translate to "blessed child of the sun." The name was commonly given to children born during the spring equinox, a time of great significance in Sumerian religious and cultural traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kenneshia can be found in a cuneiform tablet dating back to around 2200 BCE. This tablet, discovered in the ruins of the ancient city of Ur, lists the names of various individuals, including a woman named Kenneshia, who is believed to have held a prominent position in the city's religious hierarchy.
In the centuries that followed, the name Kenneshia appears to have spread across the ancient Near East, with references to individuals bearing this name found in various Akkadian and Babylonian texts. One notable example is a Babylonian priestess named Kenneshia, who lived during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BCE) and was renowned for her wisdom and spiritual guidance.
As civilizations rose and fell, the name Kenneshia endured, albeit with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. In ancient Greece, there is a record of a philosopher named Kennesios, who lived in the 5th century BCE and was known for his teachings on the nature of the soul.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kenneshia resurfaced in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions that had been influenced by the Arab world. One prominent figure was Kenneshia of Córdoba, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in the 10th century CE and made significant contributions to the literary and intellectual renaissance that took place in the Iberian Peninsula during that time.
In the 16th century, a French noblewoman named Kenneshia de Montmorency gained recognition for her bravery and leadership during the Wars of Religion. She is credited with successfully defending her family's castle against besieging forces, securing her place in the annals of French history.
The name Kenneshia continued to be used in various parts of the world, though its frequency and popularity waxed and waned over time. Other notable individuals bearing this name include Kenneshia Ramirez, a Mexican artist who gained acclaim for her vibrant murals in the early 20th century, and Kenneshia Ibrahimi, an Afghan activist and advocate for women's rights in the latter half of the 20th century.
People
Kenneshia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenneshia 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
Kenneshia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenneshia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 68 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenneshia 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 5,040,505 US residents.
Is Kenneshia a common name?
We classify Kenneshia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenneshia most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenneshia was 1992, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenneshia is about 35 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 Kenneshia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kenneshia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kenneshia 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 Kenneshia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kenneshia 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 Kenneshia 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 people have the name Kenneshia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.