The first name Kent
A boy’s name from Latin meaning “gathering”, “folkmoot”, “hillock”.
Pronounced /kɛnt/ 1 syllable Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Latin origin
Kent means “gathering”, “folkmoot”, “hillock” in Latin.
Inherited from Middle English Kent, from Old English Cent, from Latin Cantium, from Brythonic *Cantio (compare Old Irish céite (“gathering, folkmoot, hillock”)), from Proto-Celtic *kantos (“corner, rim”).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Kent last appeared in the official list in 2018, given to 4 boys. It peaked in 1996, with 6 births (#1,765).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Kent with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Kent at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 101 boys born in the United States were named Kent, the 1,659th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1962, when 2,587 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Kent in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Kent in Catalan, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish too.
Famous people named Kent
39 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Kent BeckAmerican software engineer, born 1961
- Kent NielsenDanish footballer, born 1961
- Kent ConradAmerican politician (born 1948)
- Kent BazemoreAmerican basketball player, born 1989
- Kent HovindAmerican Christian fundamentalist and Young Earth Creationist, born 1953
- Kent McCordAmerican actor, born 1942
- Kent NaganoAmerican conductor (1951-)
- Kent TaylorAmerican actor (1907–1987)
- Kent BensonAmerican basketball player (born 1954)
- Elisha Kent KaneAmerican explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857)
- Kent SmithAmerican actor (1907–1985)
- Kent MitchellAmerican rower, born 1939
More Latin boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Kent mean?
- Kent means “gathering”, “folkmoot”, “hillock” in Latin.
- What is the origin of the name Kent?
- Inherited from Middle English Kent, from Old English Cent, from Latin Cantium, from Brythonic *Cantio (compare Old Irish céite (“gathering, folkmoot, hillock”)), from Proto-Celtic *kantos (“corner, rim”).
- How popular is the name Kent?
- In 2018, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Kent, ranking 3,959th. Its peak was 1996, with 6 births.
- Is Kent a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 69,493 US babies named Kent since 1880 were boys.
- When was Kent most popular?
- 1962 in the United States, when 2,587 babies were named Kent, its highest rank at 136th.
- How do you pronounce Kent?
- Kent is /kɛnt/, one syllable.
- Is Kent also a surname?
- Yes. Kent is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.