How common is the surname Kenny?

17,429 people in the United States had the surname Kenny in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 17,714 Americans. It ranked 2,077th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Kenny?

Tom Kenny, American actor and comedian (born 1962), followed by Jason Kenny.

Where is the surname Kenny most common?

Wikidata records people named Kenny in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

How do you pronounce Kenny?

Kenny is /ˈkɛni/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Kenny getting more or less common?

More common. 16,811 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 17,429 in 2010, up 3.7%.

Is Kenny also a first name?

Yes. Kenny is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Kenny

A patronymic surname, carried by 17,429 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈkɛni/ 2 syllables Soundex K500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Kenny is more common than 98.7% of them.

Origin

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

Kenny is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 17,429 people named Kenny in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 17,714 Americans. That is up 3.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 16,811.

#2,077

rank among US surnames

17,429

people in 2010

5.9

per 100,000 Americans

+3.7%

change since 2000 (was #1,972)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,069	Ashby	17,482	17,661
#2,070	Vernon	17,480	17,663
#2,071	Crowell	17,467	17,676
#2,072	Blum	17,458	17,685
#2,073	Jeffers	17,455	17,688
#2,074	McCormack	17,449	17,694
#2,075	Mai	17,445	17,698

Who is named Kenny

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

89% of people named Kenny identified as white (not Hispanic), 5.7% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 89%
Black (not Hispanic) 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 1.5%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Kennys

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Tom Kenny
American actor and comedian (born 1962)
Jason Kenny
British cyclist (1988-)
Laura Kenny
British cyclist (1992-)
Elizabeth Kenny
Australian nurse (1880-1952)
Grant Kenny
Australian canoeist and surf lifesaver, born 1963
Yvonne Kenny
Australian soprano (born 1950)
Maria Beasley
American entrepreneur and inventor, 1836–1913
Jodie Schulz
Australian female field hockey player, born 1987

Notable Kennys come mostly from Australia (4), the United States (2) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Kenny

Kenny has the Soundex code K500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code K500.

Questions

Where does the surname Kenny come from?: From Kenneth or Ken + -y (diminutive form).
How common is the surname Kenny?: 17,429 people in the United States had the surname Kenny in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 17,714 Americans. It ranked 2,077th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Kenny?: In the 2010 Census, 89% of people named Kenny identified as white (not Hispanic), and 5.7% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Kenny?: Tom Kenny, American actor and comedian (born 1962), followed by Jason Kenny.
Where is the surname Kenny most common?: Wikidata records people named Kenny in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Kenny?: Kenny is /ˈkɛni/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Kenny?: Kenny is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Kenny getting more or less common?: More common. 16,811 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 17,429 in 2010, up 3.7%.
Is Kenny also a first name?: Yes. Kenny is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.