Kennyth
Anglicized form of the Gaelic name 'Cainnech', meaning "born of fire".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Kennyth. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kennyth today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kennyth births was 2000 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kennyth. 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 Kennyth. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
2000
6 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2007 SSA rank
#13,462
Tracked since 1950
Popularity
Kennyth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kennyth from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 16 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
Kennyth 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 Kennyth 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 Kennyth
The name Kennyth is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Cionnaith, which itself is derived from the Old Irish words "ceann" meaning "head" and "áith" meaning "fire" or "fury". This suggests the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone with a fiery temper or passion.
The name Kennyth first appeared in written records in the 6th century AD, during the Early Medieval period in the regions that are now parts of Scotland and Ireland. It was a popular name among the Gaelic peoples of those areas during that time.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name was Kennyth mac Alpin, a semi-legendary king of the Picts and Scots who ruled in the 9th century AD. He is credited with uniting the Kingdom of Alba, which later became known as the Kingdom of Scotland.
In the 11th century, Kennyth III was King of Scotland from 997 to 1005 AD. He succeeded his father, Dub, to the throne and is remembered for his conflicts with the Norse-Gaels of the Western Isles.
A notable bearer of the name in the 12th century was Kennyth Fowlis, a Scottish nobleman and landowner who lived from 1115 to 1190. He was a prominent figure in the court of King William the Lion.
During the 13th century, Kennyth de Moray was a Scottish knight and military commander who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England. He was a close ally of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
In the 15th century, Kennyth MacAlpin was a Scottish poet and bard who lived from 1435 to 1493. He was renowned for his lyrical works celebrating the natural beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
People
Kennyth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kennyth 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
Kennyth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kennyth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kennyth 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 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Kennyth a common name?
We classify Kennyth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kennyth most popular?
The single biggest year for Kennyth was 2000, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kennyth is about 33 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 Kennyth in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kennyth a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kennyth 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.
Is Kennyth still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kennyth 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 Kennyth 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 are named Kennyth?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Kennyth at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.