Kenneth

Last seen for girls in 2019 at #12,448 · #294 for boys in 2025, 1,148 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
#13
1939 · 14,715 births
Debut · boys
1880
32 births
In top 100 · boys
104 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
1,283,974
since 1880

Kenneth over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201954peak #13, 1939boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#2941,148
2024—#2841,190
2023—#2621,321
2022—#2631,312
2021—#2581,373
2020—#2431,483
2019#12,4487#2331,623
2018—#2251,671
2017—#2171,766
2016#16,2155#2081,921
2015—#1982,033
2014—#1912,153
2013—#1872,177
2012—#1752,224
2011—#1702,217
2010#16,9925#1602,428
2009—#1512,612
2008#15,4056#1372,967
2007#17,6365#1353,108
2006#11,4179#1293,243
2005#13,0107#1223,368
2004#6,76817#1193,425
2003#10,4259#1113,643
2002—#1043,665
2001#13,5216#973,907
2000#13,1546#944,152
1999#9,4799#894,285
1998#9,2609#874,586
1997#6,16315#834,659
1996#7,57411#774,973
1995#5,95815#725,226
1994#5,71316#655,679
1993#3,87727#606,276
1992#4,52822#596,732
1991#3,93626#547,576
1990#2,90039#528,262
1989#3,04535#538,555
1988#1,80269#518,567
1987#1,59178#538,354
1986#1,42090#508,453
1985#1,85660#478,992
1984#1,36886#468,790
1983#1,44780#458,965
1982#1,68467#459,354
1981#1,43385#419,472
1980#1,48281#419,608
1979#1,66167#419,236
1978#1,61466#419,021
1977#1,49873#399,452
1976#1,40675#389,127
1975#1,58662#359,634
1974#1,53263#3410,143
1973#1,15195#2810,979
1972#1,30378#2712,334
1971#1,42773#2514,763
1970#1,108106#2516,800
1969#1,066106#2317,553
1968#1,09994#2318,077
1967#1,04697#2219,263
1966#1,011104#2120,834
1965#982111#2122,677
1964#932127#1824,850
1963#1,12694#1825,235
1962#978119#1825,241
1961#1,23280#1626,100
1960#1,12693#1627,701
1959#1,005110#1526,640
1958#1,028103#1426,684
1957#1,17381#1428,064
1956#1,22872#1627,432
1955#1,19770#1526,743
1954#1,27860#1726,186
1953#1,33253#1725,507
1952#1,19563#1625,909
1951#1,19061#1625,841
1950#1,39643#1523,813
1949#1,15462#1523,589
1948#1,15760#1523,550
1947#1,22854#1524,586
1946#1,16554#1522,042
1945#1,15546#1618,096
1944#1,11549#1618,093
1943#1,10353#1519,112
1942#1,00660#1518,210
1941#1,41830#1516,143
1940#97154#1515,132
1939#1,07944#1314,715
1938#99251#1414,399
1937#1,19636#1413,219
1936#1,23034#1412,486
1935#1,08441#1512,067
1934#99348#1511,800
1933#98549#1511,410
1932#91359#1411,742
1931#78474#1411,568
1930#75586#1711,705
1929#74289#1810,841
1928#82177#1711,167
1927#81780#1810,848
1926#87971#1810,342
1925#1,07450#1910,146
1924#1,15146#1910,355
1923#1,03753#219,734
1922#1,19042#219,258
1921#1,37434#228,959
1920#1,28236#237,840
1919#1,39331#266,796
1918#1,12643#276,809
1917#1,40228#276,141
1916#1,33230#276,012
1915#1,47524#285,681
1914#1,38521#304,178
1913#1,52815#333,065
1912#1,71911#332,538
1911—#401,148
1910—#43880
1909#1,9576#41746
1908—#40692
1907—#47589
1906—#45534
1905—#52474
1904#1,6596#57414
1903—#67330
1902—#78275
1901—#78246
1900—#90279
1899—#87214
1898—#100191
1897—#105164
1896—#106175
1895—#131127
1894—#144105
1893—#17283
1892—#157102
1891—#19165
1890—#18672
1889—#19766
1888—#26245
1887—#27235
1886—#27538
1885—#25841
1884—#33128
1883—#32426
1882—#37722
1881—#29629
1880—#29132
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Kenneth was already there! It came in at #291, and was given to 32 baby boys.

Quietest stretch: 1880–1884, when fewer than 33 boys a year got the name.

Where Kenneth is popular in 1954

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #18 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 77 boysAKMaine: #22 for boys · 122 births · 1 in 84 boysMEVermont: #25 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 80 boysVTNew Hampshire: #22 for boys · 74 births · 1 in 76 boysNHWashington: #16 for boys · 428 births · 1 in 72 boysWAIdaho: #18 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 76 boysIDMontana: #17 for boys · 109 births · 1 in 69 boysMTNorth Dakota: #23 for boys · 101 births · 1 in 76 boysNDMinnesota: #26 for boys · 429 births · 1 in 91 boysMNIllinois: #17 for boys · 1,485 births · 1 in 72 boysILWisconsin: #19 for boys · 590 births · 1 in 75 boysWIMichigan: #16 for boys · 1,445 births · 1 in 65 boysMINew York: #21 for boys · 2,137 births · 1 in 80 boysNYMassachusetts: #21 for boys · 715 births · 1 in 75 boysMARhode Island: #13 for boys · 164 births · 1 in 56 boysRIOregon: #16 for boys · 249 births · 1 in 73 boysORNevada: #19 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 75 boysNVWyoming: #14 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 62 boysWYSouth Dakota: #19 for boys · 109 births · 1 in 75 boysSDIowa: #26 for boys · 319 births · 1 in 97 boysIAIndiana: #22 for boys · 694 births · 1 in 76 boysINOhio: #20 for boys · 1,420 births · 1 in 77 boysOHPennsylvania: #20 for boys · 1,554 births · 1 in 78 boysPANew Jersey: #17 for boys · 796 births · 1 in 71 boysNJConnecticut: #19 for boys · 320 births · 1 in 74 boysCTCalifornia: #17 for boys · 1,919 births · 1 in 80 boysCAUtah: #21 for boys · 129 births · 1 in 88 boysUTColorado: #17 for boys · 258 births · 1 in 73 boysCONebraska: #16 for boys · 216 births · 1 in 71 boysNEMissouri: #17 for boys · 702 births · 1 in 67 boysMOKentucky: #14 for boys · 544 births · 1 in 68 boysKYWest Virginia: #19 for boys · 296 births · 1 in 76 boysWVVirginia: #17 for boys · 560 births · 1 in 78 boysVAMaryland: #19 for boys · 401 births · 1 in 75 boysMDDelaware: #20 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 80 boysDEArizona: #16 for boys · 153 births · 1 in 85 boysAZNew Mexico: #21 for boys · 121 births · 1 in 96 boysNMKansas: #16 for boys · 349 births · 1 in 70 boysKSArkansas: #18 for boys · 269 births · 1 in 78 boysARTennessee: #17 for boys · 544 births · 1 in 77 boysTNNorth Carolina: #12 for boys · 856 births · 1 in 64 boysNCSouth Carolina: #14 for boys · 419 births · 1 in 75 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #20 for boys · 181 births · 1 in 81 boysDCOklahoma: #18 for boys · 318 births · 1 in 78 boysOKLouisiana: #12 for boys · 657 births · 1 in 61 boysLAMississippi: #18 for boys · 310 births · 1 in 95 boysMSAlabama: #14 for boys · 558 births · 1 in 70 boysALGeorgia: #13 for boys · 690 births · 1 in 70 boysGAHawaii: #38 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 138 boysHITexas: #13 for boys · 1,500 births · 1 in 81 boysTXFlorida: #13 for boys · 598 births · 1 in 68 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Louisiana#12 · 1 in 61
  2. North Carolina#12 · 1 in 64
  3. Rhode Island#13 · 1 in 56
  4. Florida#13 · 1 in 68
  5. Georgia#13 · 1 in 70

Best ever in a state: #6 in Utah, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Louisiana#126571 in 61
North Carolina#128561 in 64
Florida#135981 in 68
Georgia#136901 in 70
Rhode Island#131641 in 56
Texas#131,5001 in 81
Alabama#145581 in 70
Kentucky#145441 in 68
South Carolina#144191 in 75
Wyoming#14581 in 62
Arizona#161531 in 85
Kansas#163491 in 70
Michigan#161,4451 in 65
Nebraska#162161 in 71
Oregon#162491 in 73
Washington#164281 in 72
California#171,9191 in 80
Colorado#172581 in 73
Illinois#171,4851 in 72
Missouri#177021 in 67
Montana#171091 in 69
New Jersey#177961 in 71
Tennessee#175441 in 77
Virginia#175601 in 78
Alaska#18391 in 77
Arkansas#182691 in 78
Idaho#18981 in 76
Mississippi#183101 in 95
Oklahoma#183181 in 78
Connecticut#193201 in 74
Maryland#194011 in 75
Nevada#19301 in 75
South Dakota#191091 in 75
West Virginia#192961 in 76
Wisconsin#195901 in 75
Delaware#20531 in 80
District of Columbia#201811 in 81
Ohio#201,4201 in 77
Pennsylvania#201,5541 in 78
Massachusetts#217151 in 75
New Mexico#211211 in 96
New York#212,1371 in 80
Utah#211291 in 88
Indiana#226941 in 76
Maine#221221 in 84
New Hampshire#22741 in 76
North Dakota#231011 in 76
Vermont#25501 in 80
Iowa#263191 in 97
Minnesota#264291 in 91
Hawaii#38501 in 138

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Kenneth
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 10 spots since 2024 (#284 → #294)
  • 51 spots since 2020 (#243 → #294)
  • 96 spots since 2015 (#198 → #294)
  • Biggest jump: 73 spots in 1885 (#331 → #258)
  • Biggest drop: 81 spots in 1882 (#296 → #377)
Rise & fade · boys
59 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1939 at #13 (14,715 births)
  • Births halved by 1992, 53 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 104 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 104 yrs · run 1898–2001
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 73
  • Highest: 1 in 73 boys born in 1951 were named Kenneth (1.4%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,488 boys born in 2025 (0.07%)
  • Its best rank, #13 in 1939, was only 1 in 75 (1.3%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 20.5% of all boys named Kenneth (262,819) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s362#197 (1889)#288
1890s1,298#87 (1899)#138
1900s4,579#40 (1908)#60
1910s43,248#26 (1919)#31
1920s99,490#17 (1928)#20
1930s125,111#13 (1939)#15
1940s198,553#15 (1947)#15
1950s262,819#14 (1957)#16
1960s227,531#16 (1960)#20
1970s111,489#25 (1970)#33
1980s89,110#41 (1980)#47
1990s58,254#52 (1990)#70
2000s34,090#94 (2000)#120
2010s20,213#160 (2010)#196
2020s7,827#243 (2020)#267

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Kenneth in 1954

girls
#1,278
60 births · 1 in 32,365 girls
boys
#17
26,186 births · 1 in 78 boys

Top girls' names in 1954

  1. #1Mary68,019
  2. #2Linda55,371
  3. #3Deborah54,674
  4. #4Patricia49,149
  5. #5Susan47,162
  6. #6Debra45,896
  7. #7Barbara36,368
  8. #8Karen32,456
  9. #9Nancy30,270
  10. #10Cynthia27,615
  11. #1,278Kenneth60

Top boys' names in 1954

  1. #1Michael88,568
  2. #2Robert86,331
  3. #3James86,311
  4. #4John81,168
  5. #5David79,556
  6. #6William61,426
  7. #7Richard57,042
  8. #8Thomas47,159
  9. #9Gary37,920
  10. #10Charles37,463
  11. #17Kenneth26,186
More about 1954

girls

1,941,915 girls got a published name in 1954; 1 in 32,365 of them was named Kenneth, which outranked 80.7% of the 6,625 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kenneth
  1. #1,267Thomasina61
  2. #1,267Venus61
  3. #1,267Wonda61
  4. #1,278Kenneth60
  5. #1,278Alida60
  6. #1,278Alvina60
  7. #1,278Johnny60
  8. #1,285Amalia59
  9. #1,285Arnetta59
  10. #1,285Beverlee59

Tied with 6 names at #1,278; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1953
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,699Sherree#2,699 → #1,000
  2. ↑ 1,434Sabrina#2,236 → #802
  3. ↑ 932Valinda#1,738 → #806
  4. ↑ 748Sheree#1,071 → #323
  5. ↑ 421Sherie#1,248 → #827
Fallers
  1. ↓ 396Enola#948 → #1,344
  2. ↓ 311Ila#782 → #1,093
  3. ↓ 302Nancie#816 → #1,118
  4. ↓ 282Arline#904 → #1,186
  5. ↓ 269Candyce#944 → #1,213

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,038,751 boys got a published name in 1954; 1 in 78 of them was named Kenneth, which outranked 99.6% of the 4,360 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kenneth
  1. #14Donald29,279
  2. #15Ronald27,625
  3. #16Paul26,220
  4. #17Kenneth26,186
  5. #18Daniel25,275
  6. #19Larry24,614
  7. #20Stephen21,878
Biggest movers since 1953
Risers
  1. ↑ 592Ricci#1,331 → #739
  2. ↑ 470Demetrius#1,357 → #887
  3. ↑ 382Crawford#1,378 → #996
  4. ↑ 310Gavin#1,139 → #829
  5. ↑ 296Dino#1,058 → #762
Fallers
  1. ↓ 504Arlin#878 → #1,382
  2. ↓ 347Adan#895 → #1,242
  3. ↓ 345Dayton#966 → #1,311
  4. ↓ 302Garey#966 → #1,268
  5. ↓ 293Bartholomew#975 → #1,268

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1954 →