# Kenny (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/kenny/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛni/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 52,479 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 51,931 / 548 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,188, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Kenneth or Ken + -y (diminutive form).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7 | 11,770 |
| 1999 | 8 | 10,878 |
| 2001 | 9 | 10,568 |
| 2002 | 11 | 9,166 |
| 2004 | 10 | 10,304 |
| 2005 | 9 | 11,385 |
| 2006 | 8 | 13,000 |
| 2007 | 5 | 19,095 |
| 2008 | 10 | 11,223 |
| 2013 | 5 | 17,973 |
| 2017 | 5 | 17,192 |
| 2022 | 7 | 12,926 |
| 2023 | 9 | 10,759 |
| 2024 | 15 | 7,422 |
| 2025 | 6 | 14,076 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 328 | 701 |
| 2012 | 310 | 746 |
| 2013 | 283 | 795 |
| 2014 | 265 | 846 |
| 2015 | 247 | 893 |
| 2016 | 242 | 898 |
| 2017 | 217 | 959 |
| 2018 | 207 | 1,001 |
| 2019 | 257 | 863 |
| 2020 | 182 | 1,089 |
| 2021 | 158 | 1,221 |
| 2022 | 160 | 1,234 |
| 2023 | 162 | 1,223 |
| 2024 | 140 | 1,357 |
| 2025 | 155 | 1,271 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 43 | 732 |
| 2012 | 47 | 704 |
| 2013 | 44 | 730 |
| 2014 | 45 | 714 |
| 2015 | 42 | 765 |
| 2016 | 42 | 774 |
| 2017 | 38 | 833 |
| 2018 | 49 | 702 |
| 2019 | 35 | 856 |
| 2020 | 45 | 723 |
| 2021 | 48 | 719 |
| 2022 | 50 | 679 |
| 2023 | 44 | 754 |
| 2024 | 45 | 757 |
| 2025 | 36 | 873 |

## People named Kenny

- Kenny Cunningham, Costa Rican association football player
- Kenny Baker, British actor and musician (1934–2016)
- Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer (1914–1985)
- Kenny Tete, Dutch association football player (born 1995)
- Kenny Ortega, American television and film director, producer, choreographer
- Kenny Chesney, American country musician
- Kenny Acheson, British racing driver
- Kenny Sansom, English footballer (born 1958)
- Kenny Harrison, American triple jumper and long jumper
- Kenny Johnson, American actor
- Kenny Dorham, American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer (1924–1972)
- Kenny Lala, French footballer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.