Kinny
An English diminutive form of the masculine name Kenneth, derived from the Gaelic meaning "born of fire".
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Kinny. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kinny today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kinny births was 1958 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kinny. 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 Kinny. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1958
5 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1988 SSA rank
#7,954
Tracked since 1958
Census
Kinny in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 110 people with the first name Kinny, which placed it at #51,979 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
#51,979
National first-name rank
People counted
110
110 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
32.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinny
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kinny is Asian/Pacific Islander at 32.7%. The next largest groups are White (31.8%) and Black (20.9%). 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 Kinny 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 Kinny at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.7% · 36
- White31.8% · 35
- Black or African American20.9% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 9
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
Popularity
Kinny: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kinny from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, 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
Kinny 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 Kinny 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 Kinny
The name Kinny is believed to have originated from the Celtic language and culture, with roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Irish word "cinn," which means "chief" or "leader." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals of high social standing or those who held positions of authority within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kinny can be found in ancient Irish manuscripts from the 8th century. These documents mention a figure named Kinny mac Flann, who was a prominent warrior and chieftain of the Uí Failghe tribe. His name is believed to have reflected his status as a respected leader among his people.
In the 11th century, a historical figure known as Kinny O'Ruairc appears in the annals of Irish history. He was a member of the powerful O'Ruairc dynasty, which ruled over the kingdom of Breifne in modern-day County Leitrim, Ireland. Kinny O'Ruairc was renowned for his military prowess and his role in defending his lands against Norman invaders.
Moving forward to the 16th century, a notable individual named Kinny O'Donnell is mentioned in records from County Donegal, Ireland. He was a member of the influential O'Donnell clan and is believed to have been a skilled diplomat and negotiator, playing a crucial role in maintaining peace between various Irish clans and the English crown.
In the 17th century, a Scottish Highlander named Kinny MacDonald is documented as having participated in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He fought alongside the Royalist forces and gained recognition for his bravery and loyalty to the cause of King Charles I.
Lastly, in the 19th century, a man named Kinny O'Connor made a significant contribution to the field of Irish folklore and literature. Born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1825, he dedicated his life to preserving and sharing the rich oral traditions and stories of his native land. His works remain an important part of Ireland's cultural heritage.
While the name Kinny may not be as widely used today, its historical roots and associations with leadership, bravery, and cultural preservation make it a captivating and meaningful name that has left an indelible mark on the annals of history.
People
Kinny + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kinny 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
Kinny: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kinny?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kinny 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 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Kinny a common name?
We classify Kinny as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kinny most popular?
The single biggest year for Kinny was 1958, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kinny is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kinny in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 110 people with the name Kinny, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,979 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 Kinny 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 Kinny?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kinny on both sides of the split. Of the 116 people counted with this name, 70 were male (60.3%) and 46 were female (39.7%). 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 Kinny?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kinny is Asian/Pacific Islander at 32.7%. The next largest groups are White (31.8%) and Black (20.9%). 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 Kinny most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kinny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 32.7% (36 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 Kinny in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kinny a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kinny 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 Kinny still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kinny 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 Kinny 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 common is the name Kinny?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Kinny at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.