Meaning not yet researched.
Kenneth: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 1,148 in 2025. Its best rank was #13 in 1939.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #13 in 1939; #294 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Kenneth in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#294 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1939, at #13.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Kenneth: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 1,148 boys in 2025. Peak: #13 in 1939 · most boys in one year: 28,064 (1957).
In 2025, 1,148 US boys were named Kenneth, making it the 294th most common boys’ name of the year, down 10 places from #284 in 2024. That is 42 fewer than the 1,190 boys named Kenneth in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #13, reached in 1939. The most boys given the name in a single year was 28,064, in 1957. For comparison, it was #198 in 2015 and #15 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Kenneth in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 32 babies with the name. In all, 1,289,312 US babies have been given the name, 0.4% of them girls and 99.5% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1950s, with 263,535 babies named Kenneth.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 14,808 US boys were named Kenneth; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 1,921. In 2025 that was about 1 in 1,488 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Kenneth ranked highest in Alaska in 2025, at #127 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Ken (33,043 babies since 1880) and Kennith (10,565 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Kenith, Keneth and Kennieth are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Ken, Kendrick and Kenny.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Kenith (1,630), Keneth (1,467), Kennieth (424), Kenneith (219), Kennet (214), Kennett (207), Kinneth (175), Kennette (163), Kenet (23), Kinnith (22), Kennyth (21).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 9 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 7 | #127 | #212 |
| District of Columbia | 5 | #189 | #136 |
| Kentucky | 27 | #208 | #149 |
| West Virginia | 9 | #216 | #207 |
| Michigan | 45 | #219 | #213 |
| Pennsylvania | 49 | #247 | #219 |
| Indiana | 33 | #248 | #216 |
| New Jersey | 38 | #249 | #172 |
| Wisconsin | 24 | #252 | #241 |
| Kansas | 15 | #253 | #304 |
| Maine | 5 | #253 | #206 |
| Georgia | 49 | #254 | #132 |
| Alabama | 22 | #255 | #173 |
| Missouri | 28 | #256 | #208 |
| Ohio | 46 | #270 | #195 |
| Mississippi | 12 | #272 | #113 |
| Florida | 77 | #272 | #186 |
| North Carolina | 45 | #273 | #190 |
| Utah | 18 | #279 | #272 |
| Arkansas | 13 | #280 | #172 |
| Iowa | 14 | #284 | #257 |
| Tennessee | 30 | #294 | #144 |
| New York | 62 | #300 | #175 |
| South Carolina | 18 | #307 | #169 |
| Virginia | 27 | #310 | #172 |
| Nebraska | 8 | #315 | #340 |
| Oregon | 13 | #317 | #246 |
| Washington | 23 | #331 | #255 |
| New Mexico | 6 | #339 | #213 |
| Illinois | 32 | #339 | #224 |
| Texas | 111 | #343 | #197 |
| California | 100 | #350 | #222 |
| Maryland | 15 | #359 | #164 |
| Louisiana | 14 | #363 | #143 |
| Oklahoma | 13 | #365 | #186 |
| Connecticut | 8 | #372 | #229 |
| Minnesota | 15 | #379 | #225 |
| Massachusetts | 13 | #397 | #180 |
| Idaho | 6 | #402 | #257 |
| Colorado | 13 | #449 | #272 |
| Nevada | 6 | #484 | #239 |
| Arizona | 13 | #542 | #302 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 1,148 | #294 |
| 2024 | — | — | 1,190 | #284 |
| 2023 | — | — | 1,321 | #262 |
| 2022 | — | — | 1,312 | #263 |
| 2021 | — | — | 1,373 | #258 |
| 2020 | — | — | 1,483 | #243 |
| 2019 | 7 | #13,132 | 1,623 | #233 |
| 2018 | — | — | 1,671 | #225 |
| 2017 | — | — | 1,766 | #217 |
| 2016 | 5 | #17,606 | 1,921 | #208 |
| 2015 | — | — | 2,033 | #198 |
| 2014 | — | — | 2,153 | #191 |
| 2013 | — | — | 2,177 | #187 |
| 2012 | — | — | 2,224 | #175 |
| 2011 | — | — | 2,217 | #170 |
| 2010 | 5 | #18,472 | 2,428 | #160 |
| 2009 | — | — | 2,612 | #151 |
| 2008 | 6 | #16,471 | 2,967 | #137 |
| 2007 | 5 | #19,091 | 3,108 | #135 |
| 2006 | 9 | #11,943 | 3,243 | #129 |
| 2005 | 7 | #13,756 | 3,368 | #122 |
| 2004 | 17 | #6,943 | 3,425 | #119 |
| 2003 | 9 | #10,872 | 3,643 | #111 |
| 2002 | — | — | 3,665 | #104 |
| 2001 | 6 | #14,457 | 3,907 | #97 |
| 2000 | 6 | #14,067 | 4,152 | #94 |
| 1999 | 9 | #9,915 | 4,285 | #89 |
| 1998 | 9 | #9,710 | 4,586 | #87 |
| 1997 | 15 | #6,334 | 4,659 | #83 |
| 1996 | 11 | #7,853 | 4,973 | #77 |
| 1995 | 15 | #6,114 | 5,226 | #72 |
| 1994 | 16 | #5,856 | 5,679 | #65 |
| 1993 | 27 | #3,930 | 6,276 | #60 |
| 1992 | 22 | #4,612 | 6,732 | #59 |
| 1991 | 26 | #3,993 | 7,576 | #54 |
| 1990 | 39 | #2,928 | 8,262 | #52 |
| 1989 | 35 | #3,074 | 8,555 | #53 |
| 1988 | 69 | #1,811 | 8,567 | #51 |
| 1987 | 78 | #1,600 | 8,354 | #53 |
| 1986 | 90 | #1,429 | 8,453 | #50 |
| 1985 | 60 | #1,872 | 8,992 | #47 |
| 1984 | 86 | #1,378 | 8,790 | #46 |
| 1983 | 80 | #1,458 | 8,965 | #45 |
| 1982 | 67 | #1,690 | 9,354 | #45 |
| 1981 | 85 | #1,438 | 9,472 | #41 |
| 1980 | 81 | #1,487 | 9,608 | #41 |
| 1979 | 67 | #1,669 | 9,236 | #41 |
| 1978 | 66 | #1,620 | 9,021 | #41 |
| 1977 | 73 | #1,507 | 9,452 | #39 |
| 1976 | 75 | #1,413 | 9,127 | #38 |
| 1975 | 62 | #1,596 | 9,634 | #35 |
| 1974 | 63 | #1,541 | 10,143 | #34 |
| 1973 | 95 | #1,155 | 10,979 | #28 |
| 1972 | 78 | #1,304 | 12,334 | #27 |
| 1971 | 73 | #1,434 | 14,763 | #25 |
| 1970 | 106 | #1,111 | 16,800 | #25 |
| 1969 | 106 | #1,070 | 17,553 | #23 |
| 1968 | 94 | #1,103 | 18,077 | #23 |
| 1967 | 97 | #1,049 | 19,263 | #22 |
| 1966 | 104 | #1,013 | 20,834 | #21 |
| 1965 | 111 | #986 | 22,677 | #21 |
| 1964 | 127 | #935 | 24,850 | #18 |
| 1963 | 94 | #1,131 | 25,235 | #18 |
| 1962 | 119 | #981 | 25,241 | #18 |
| 1961 | 80 | #1,238 | 26,100 | #16 |
| 1960 | 93 | #1,128 | 27,701 | #16 |
| 1959 | 110 | #1,007 | 26,640 | #15 |
| 1958 | 103 | #1,032 | 26,684 | #14 |
| 1957 | 81 | #1,174 | 28,064 | #14 |
| 1956 | 72 | #1,230 | 27,432 | #16 |
| 1955 | 70 | #1,200 | 26,743 | #15 |
| 1954 | 60 | #1,282 | 26,186 | #17 |
| 1953 | 53 | #1,338 | 25,507 | #17 |
| 1952 | 63 | #1,202 | 25,909 | #16 |
| 1951 | 61 | #1,197 | 25,841 | #16 |
| 1950 | 43 | #1,398 | 23,813 | #15 |
| 1949 | 62 | #1,159 | 23,589 | #15 |
| 1948 | 60 | #1,164 | 23,550 | #15 |
| 1947 | 54 | #1,232 | 24,586 | #15 |
| 1946 | 54 | #1,172 | 22,042 | #15 |
| 1945 | 46 | #1,164 | 18,096 | #16 |
| 1944 | 49 | #1,123 | 18,093 | #16 |
| 1943 | 53 | #1,108 | 19,112 | #15 |
| 1942 | 60 | #1,014 | 18,210 | #15 |
| 1941 | 30 | #1,431 | 16,143 | #15 |
| 1940 | 54 | #975 | 15,132 | #15 |
| 1939 | 44 | #1,083 | 14,715 | #13 |
| 1938 | 51 | #999 | 14,399 | #14 |
| 1937 | 36 | #1,212 | 13,219 | #14 |
| 1936 | 34 | #1,238 | 12,486 | #14 |
| 1935 | 41 | #1,092 | 12,067 | #15 |
| 1934 | 48 | #998 | 11,800 | #15 |
| 1933 | 49 | #992 | 11,410 | #15 |
| 1932 | 59 | #920 | 11,742 | #14 |
| 1931 | 74 | #789 | 11,568 | #14 |
| 1930 | 86 | #756 | 11,705 | #17 |
| 1929 | 89 | #744 | 10,841 | #18 |
| 1928 | 77 | #823 | 11,167 | #17 |
| 1927 | 80 | #819 | 10,848 | #18 |
| 1926 | 71 | #884 | 10,342 | #18 |
| 1925 | 50 | #1,081 | 10,146 | #19 |
| 1924 | 46 | #1,158 | 10,355 | #19 |
| 1923 | 53 | #1,042 | 9,734 | #21 |
| 1922 | 42 | #1,197 | 9,258 | #21 |
| 1921 | 34 | #1,388 | 8,959 | #22 |
| 1920 | 36 | #1,296 | 7,840 | #23 |
| 1919 | 31 | #1,408 | 6,796 | #26 |
| 1918 | 43 | #1,140 | 6,809 | #27 |
| 1917 | 28 | #1,418 | 6,141 | #27 |
| 1916 | 30 | #1,345 | 6,012 | #27 |
| 1915 | 24 | #1,498 | 5,681 | #28 |
| 1914 | 21 | #1,409 | 4,178 | #30 |
| 1913 | 15 | #1,566 | 3,065 | #33 |
| 1912 | 11 | #1,779 | 2,538 | #33 |
| 1911 | — | — | 1,148 | #40 |
| 1910 | — | — | 880 | #43 |
| 1909 | 6 | #2,087 | 746 | #41 |
| 1908 | — | — | 692 | #40 |
| 1907 | — | — | 589 | #47 |
| 1906 | — | — | 534 | #45 |
| 1905 | — | — | 474 | #53 |
| 1904 | 6 | #1,769 | 414 | #57 |
| 1903 | — | — | 330 | #67 |
| 1902 | — | — | 275 | #78 |
| 1901 | — | — | 246 | #78 |
| 1900 | — | — | 279 | #90 |
| 1899 | — | — | 214 | #87 |
| 1898 | — | — | 191 | #100 |
| 1897 | — | — | 164 | #105 |
| 1896 | — | — | 175 | #106 |
| 1895 | — | — | 127 | #131 |
| 1894 | — | — | 105 | #145 |
| 1893 | — | — | 83 | #174 |
| 1892 | — | — | 102 | #157 |
| 1891 | — | — | 65 | #193 |
| 1890 | — | — | 72 | #189 |
| 1889 | — | — | 66 | #199 |
| 1888 | — | — | 45 | #267 |
| 1887 | — | — | 35 | #273 |
| 1886 | — | — | 38 | #278 |
| 1885 | — | — | 41 | #261 |
| 1884 | — | — | 28 | #333 |
| 1883 | — | — | 26 | #328 |
| 1882 | — | — | 22 | #383 |
| 1881 | — | — | 29 | #300 |
| 1880 | — | — | 32 | #297 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).