Find out how popular the last name Kenna is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kenna.

Kenna, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kenna surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kenna in America

Kenna is the 8586th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kenna surname appeared 3,837 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kenna.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kenna to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kenna

The surname Kenna is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "ceann" meaning "head" or "chief." It is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century as a descriptive name for the head of a clan or family.

The Kenna surname is particularly associated with counties Louth and Monaghan in Ireland, where it is believed to have originated. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters, which are historical chronicles that date back to the 12th century.

One notable early bearer of the name was Gilla-na-naem Ua Cendubain, who was the Bishop of Raphoe in County Donegal in the late 12th century. The name was also recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Cumbria in England in 1199, suggesting that some bearers of the name had migrated to England by that time.

The Kenna surname has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Kennaught in County Meath and Kinnaird in County Donegal. These place names are thought to be derived from the same Gaelic root as the surname.

Some notable historical figures with the surname Kenna include:

1. Sir Edward Kenna (c. 1550-1610), an Irish military commander who served in the Spanish Army of Flanders.
2. William Kenna (1787-1867), an Irish-American politician who served as the 8th Mayor of Chicago from 1853 to 1855.
3. John Kenna (1848-1893), a U.S. Representative from West Virginia.
4. John E. Kenna (1865-1939), a U.S. Senator from West Virginia.
5. Michael Kenna (born 1953), a renowned English photographer known for his landscape and architectural photography.

The surname Kenna has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as Kenna, Kinnah, Kennagh, and Kenney, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kenna

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kenna.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kenna was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kenna has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kenna was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kenna, please contact us.

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