Boy · #10,860 in 2026

Keenen

Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans first came to prominence as the host and creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color. He has produced, directed or written several films, starting with Hollywood Shuffle, which he cowrote, in 1987.

Current Rank
#10,860
Peak Rank
#907 (1991)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1976
First Year
2022
Last Year
1991
Peak Year
#907
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
39
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Keenen

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans first came to prominence as the host and creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color. He has produced, directed or written several films, starting with Hollywood Shuffle, which he cowrote, in 1987.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Keenen

Keenen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1976, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 134 Keenens were born — ranking #907 that year. As of 2026, Keenen ranks #10,860 for baby boys with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Keenens have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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OH
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Top 10
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No data

Names that sound like Keenen

Phonetically similar names — useful when Keenen is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Keenen

What does the name Keenen mean?
Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans first came to prominence as the host and creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color. He has produced, directed or written several films, starting with Hollywood Shuffle, which he cowrote, in 1987.
How popular is Keenen in 2026?
In 2026, Keenen ranks #10,860 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Keenen most popular?
Keenen reached its peak popularity in 1991, ranking #907 that year with 134 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Keenen most popular?
Keenen has historically been most popular in Mississippi, South Carolina, Maryland. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Keenen.
Is Keenen a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Keenen is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Keenen?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Keenen include Avon, Link, Reuel. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👦
Avon
Peak #907
👦
Link
Peak #907
👦
Reuel
Peak #907
👦
Garey
Peak #907
👦
Kalvin
Peak #907
👦
Adler
Peak #907
👦
Kimball
Peak #908
👦
Cornel
Peak #906

About the name Keenen

Keenen is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1976 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Keenen's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #907. Use the chart and map above to compare Keenen's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.