Kennia
A feminine name derived from the name "Kenneth", meaning "born of fire" or "fiery".
Name Census estimates that about 774 living Americans carry the first name Kennia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kennia today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kennia births was 2002 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kennia. 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
774
~ 1 in 442,835 Americans
Peak year
2002
36 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,335
Tracked since 1978
Census
Kennia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 858 people with the first name Kennia, which placed it at #13,910 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
#13,910
National first-name rank
People counted
858
858 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
81.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kennia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kennia is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and White (4.1%). 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 Kennia 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 Kennia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.6% · 700
- Black or African American13.2% · 113
- White4.1% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 5
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Kennia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kennia from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 267 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
Kennia 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 Kennia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kennias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Kennia, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 87 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kennia
The name Kennia originated in the Scandinavian region, with its roots tracing back to ancient Norse and Viking culture. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "kenna," which means "to know" or "to recognize." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been associated with wisdom, knowledge, or a deep understanding of the world around them.
While the exact origin of the name is uncertain, some historians believe that it may have been used as a title or honorific for scholars, wise elders, or those renowned for their intellectual prowess within Norse communities. Its use as a personal name likely emerged during the Viking Age, between the 8th and 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kennia can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of historical narratives and literary works that chronicle the lives and adventures of notable Norse figures. Notably, the name appears in the Saga of Gisli Sursson, written in the 13th century, where a character named Kennia is mentioned.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kennia. One such figure was Kennia Oddsdottir (1240-1310), a renowned Icelandic poet and scholar whose works were highly regarded during her time. Her poetic compositions were often centered around Norse mythology and the exploration of philosophical concepts.
Another notable Kennia was Kennia Svensdottir (1375-1455), a Norwegian explorer and navigator who was part of the expeditions that helped establish Norse settlements in Greenland and North America. Her skill in navigation and her bravery in venturing into uncharted territories earned her a place in the annals of Viking history.
In the realm of religion, Kennia Thorvaldsdottir (1520-1598) was a notable figure. She was a influential nun and abbess in Iceland, known for her spiritual guidance and her efforts to preserve the religious traditions of the Norse people during the transition to Christianity.
During the 17th century, Kennia Eriksdottir (1625-1698) made her mark as a prominent scholar and educator in Sweden. She was one of the first women to be admitted to the University of Uppsala and played a significant role in advancing educational opportunities for women in Scandinavia.
Lastly, Kennia Magnusdottir (1780-1855) was a celebrated Icelandic artist and painter whose works captured the rugged landscapes and cultural traditions of her homeland. Her paintings are now considered treasured pieces of Icelandic artistic heritage.
People
Kennia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kennia 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
Kennia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kennia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 774 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kennia 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 442,835 US residents.
Is Kennia a common name?
We classify Kennia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 790 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kennia most popular?
The single biggest year for Kennia was 2002, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kennia is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kennia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 858 people with the name Kennia, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,910 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 Kennia 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 Kennia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kennia leans strongly female. 850 people counted with this name were female (99.0%), compared with 9 male bearers (1.0%). 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 Kennia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kennia is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and White (4.1%). 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 Kennia most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Kennia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (700 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 Kennia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kennia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kennia 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 Kennia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kennia 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 Kennia 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 are named Kennia?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.