Kinden
A Japanese name meaning "forest woods" or "root of all things".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Kinden. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kinden today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kinden births was 2008 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kinden. 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 Kinden. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2008
5 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2011 SSA rank
#13,446
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Kinden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kinden from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 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
Kinden 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 Kinden 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 Kinden
The name Kinden is believed to have originated from the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Age (800-1050 AD). It is derived from the Old Norse word "kind," meaning "child" or "offspring." The name likely emerged as a descriptive moniker for a child or a term of endearment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kinden can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of historical narratives written in the 13th and 14th centuries. The name appears in the Saga of Njál, which recounts events from the late 10th century in Iceland. In this saga, a character named Kinden Sigmundsson is mentioned as a prominent farmer and chieftain.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kinden was occasionally used in Scandinavian countries, especially in Sweden and Norway. However, it remained relatively uncommon and was often associated with individuals of Norse descent or those living in areas with strong Viking cultural influences.
The first notable historical figure with the name Kinden was Kinden Olafsson, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 11th century. He was a prominent landowner and a respected leader in the region of Trøndelag, Norway. Another historical figure bearing this name was Kinden Thorvaldsson, a Swedish explorer who is believed to have accompanied the Viking explorer Leif Erikson on his voyage to North America around the year 1000 AD.
In the 16th century, a Dutch merchant named Kinden van Rijn gained fame for his successful trading ventures in the Baltic region. He established a prosperous business empire and was known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting education and cultural institutions in the Netherlands.
A more recent historical figure with the name Kinden was Kinden Andersen, a Norwegian writer and poet who lived from 1846 to 1924. He was a prominent figure in the Norwegian romantic nationalist movement and is best known for his nature poetry and vivid descriptions of rural life in Norway.
While the name Kinden has its roots in Old Norse and was primarily used in Scandinavian countries during the Middle Ages and the Viking era, it has become increasingly rare in modern times. However, it remains a unique and intriguing name with a rich historical background and a connection to the fascinating Norse culture and mythology.
People
Kinden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kinden 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
Kinden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kinden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kinden 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Kinden a common name?
We classify Kinden as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kinden most popular?
The single biggest year for Kinden was 2008, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kinden is about 16 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 Kinden in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kinden a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kinden 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 Kinden still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kinden 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 Kinden 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 Kinden as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Kinden, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.