How Many People Are Named Kenneth?
An estimated 836,956 people in the United States have the first name Kenneth, ranking it #35 among all first names. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 59 years old, and Kenneth peaked in popularity in 1957 with 28,141 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Ashley (836,912).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Kenneth as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Kenneth paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Kenneth is overwhelmingly male, 5,338 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Kenneth has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
836,956
About 1 in 410 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
59
years old
Peak Year
1957
28,141 births
Total Registered
1,288,147
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Kenneth
Kenneth is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 1,288,147 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
Kenneth as a male name
Ranked #284 in 2024
1,186 male births in 2024
Peak: 1957 (28,060 births)
Kenneth as a female name
Ranked #13,128 in 2019
7 female births in 2019
Peak: 1964 (127 births)
Kenneth: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Kenneth span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 263,538 babies were registered. Kenneth has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Kenneth by Decade
How has Kenneth tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 363 | 363 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 1,298 | 1,298 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 4,591 | 4,579 | 12 | |
| 1910s | 43,451 | 43,248 | 203 | |
| 1920s | 100,068 | 99,490 | 578 | |
| 1930s | 125,631 | 125,109 | 522 | |
| 1940s | 199,073 | 198,551 | 522 | |
| 1950s | 263,538 | 262,822 | 716 | |
| 1960s | 228,539 | 227,514 | 1,025 | |
| 1970s | 112,255 | 111,497 | 758 | |
| 1980s | 89,849 | 89,118 | 731 | |
| 1990s | 58,445 | 58,256 | 189 | |
| 2000s | 34,155 | 34,090 | 65 | |
| 2010s | 20,222 | 20,205 | 17 | |
| 2020s | 6,669 | 6,669 | 0 | |
Kenneth by State
Birth registrations for Kenneth span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in Alaska, Wyoming, Vermont. On average, about 25,053 Kenneths were registered per state.
Kenneth + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenneth as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Kenneth
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
Kenneth: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenneth?
We estimate approximately 836,956 people named Kenneth are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 410 Americans share this first name.
Is Kenneth a common name?
Kenneth is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,288,147 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Kenneth most popular?
Kenneth reached peak popularity in 1957, when 28,141 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Kenneth is approximately 59 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Kenneth a male name?
Kenneth is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Kenneth Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Kenneth Smith, Kenneth Johnson, Kenneth Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me