2000
#93,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Kennady
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cionnfhaolaidh, meaning "descendant of a descendant of the wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 298 Americans carry the last name Kennady. That puts it at #79,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,150,182 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kennady surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kennady with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
298
1 in 1,150,182
Census rank
#79,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
260
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 260 bearers of the surname Kennady in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennady, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kennady
The surname Kennady originated in Ireland and is a variant spelling of the more common Kennedy name. The roots of the name can be traced back to the 13th century and the ancient Celtic Gaelic language, where it is derived from the words "O'Cinneidigh" meaning "descendant of the ugly-headed one."
The Kennady clan was based primarily in County Tipperary, Ireland, though they also had a strong presence in counties Longford and Westmeath. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster from 1333, referring to Ruaidhri O'Cinneidigh.
In the 16th century, the Kennady name is found in the Fiants of the Tudor Conquest, which were records of royal pardons and land grants issued by the English monarchy during their conquest of Ireland. A notable bearer of the name from this era was Terence O'Kennedy (c. 1500 - c. 1560), a Catholic priest and writer.
The Kennady spelling became more prevalent in the 17th and 18th centuries, with several notable figures emerging from this lineage. One was Mathew Kennedy (1652 - 1735), a member of the Irish Parliament and prominent landowner in County Tipperary.
Another was Patrick Kennedy (1701 - 1779), a Catholic priest and educator who founded the Catholic seminary in Thurles, County Tipperary, which later became St. Patrick's College. He played a significant role in preserving Catholic education in Ireland during the Penal Laws.
In the 19th century, the Kennady name made its way to the United States through Irish immigration. One of the earliest recorded examples is Barnard Kennedy (1785 - 1858), who settled in Philadelphia and became a successful merchant and shipowner.
Finally, a more recent bearer of the Kennady surname was Henry Gratton Kennady (1858 - 1940), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kennady
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennady, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kennady bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kennady surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 198
- Black or African American10.4% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 11
- Two or more races3.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kennady
Kennady appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#100,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
-2 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,950 places
2020
#79,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 260
+81 bearers (+45.3%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 21,673 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #93,841 | 181 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #100,791 | 179 | 0.06 | -2 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 6,950 places |
| 2020 | #79,118 | 260 | 0.09 | +81 bearers (+45.3%) | Up 21,673 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kennady surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #100,791 | #79,118 | 21.5% |
| Count | 179 | 260 | 45.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.09 | 45.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kennady bearers went from 179 to 260 (+45.3% change). The surname moved up 21,673 positions in the national ranking, going from #100,791 to #79,118.
FAQ
Kennady surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kennady?
Name Census estimates that about 298 living Americans carry the surname Kennady. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,150,182 residents.
How common is Kennady?
Kennady ranks #79,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 260 people with the surname Kennady. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (298), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kennady.
Has Kennady become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kennady went from 179 recorded bearers to 260. That is an increase of 81 (+45.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #100,791 to #79,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Kennady?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennady, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kennady in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (198 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kennady appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (10.4%), Hispanic (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kennady (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kennady mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cionnfhaolaidh, meaning "descendant of a descendant of the wolf." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kennady (0.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Kennady?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.