ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 2003 First Year 2024 Last Year 2003 Peak Year #12408 Peak Rank 68 Total Count 12 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Kenai What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Kenai is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. By road, it is 158 miles southwest of Anchorage. The population was 7,424 as of the 2020 census, up from 7,100 in 2010, the seventh-most populated city in the state. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenai%2C%5FAlaska) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenai%2C%5FAlaska) 🏛️Origin & history Kenai in the 1940s The city of Kenai is named after the local Dena'ina word 'ken' or 'kena', which means 'flat, meadow, open area with few trees; base, low ridge', according to the Dena'ina Topical Dictionary by James Kari, Ph.D., published in 2007\. This describes the area along the mouth and portion of the Kenai River near the City of Kenai. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area was first occupied by the Kachemak people from 1000 B.C., until they were displaced by the Dena'ina Athabaskan people around 1000 A.D. Before the arrival of the Russians, Kenai was a Dena'ina village called S [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Kenai](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Kenai_Municipal_Map.png/330px-Kenai_Municipal_Map.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenai%2C%5FAlaska) 📖 ## The Story of Kenai Kenai first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1992, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 346 Kenais were born — ranking #755 that year. As of 2026, Kenai ranks #755 for baby boys with 346 births, rising sharply (+139% over the past five years). In total, more than 3K Kenais have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data ⭐ ## Notable people named Kenai A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Philip H. Ross , U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, double Navy Cross recipient * ●Allie Ostrander , professional long distance runner, NCAA three-time champion Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenai%2C%5FAlaska) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenai%2C%5FAlaska) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Kenai Phonetically similar names — useful when Kenai is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Keno](/keno) * [Kino](/kino) * [Kina](/kina) * [Keena](/keena) * [Keeno](/keeno) * [Kini](/kini) * [Kena](/kena) * Keeney * [Kanai](/kanai) * Keaney * County * Canoe Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Kenai What does the name Kenai mean? Kenai is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. By road, it is 158 miles southwest of Anchorage. The population was 7,424 as of the 2020 census, up from 7,100 in 2010, the seventh-most populated city in the state. How popular is Kenai in 2026? In 2026, Kenai ranks #755 among boys' names in the U.S., with 346 babies given the name that year. When was Kenai most popular? Kenai reached its peak popularity in 2026, ranking #755 that year with 346 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Kenai most popular? Kenai has historically been most popular in Puerto Rico, Alaska, South Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kenai. Is Kenai a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Kenai is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Kenai? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kenai include Anastacio, Claire, Henri. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧ThayerPeak #12408](/thayer)[👧JaneiaPeak #12408](/janeia)[👧SonrisaPeak #12408](/sonrisa)[👧CaishaPeak #12408](/caisha)[👧SanciaPeak #12408](/sancia)[👧TyniecePeak #12408](/tyniece)[👧AlitzahPeak #12408](/alitzah)[👧GislainePeak #12408](/gislaine) ## About the name Kenai Kenai is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1992 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Kenai's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #755\. Use the chart and map above to compare Kenai's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "K" → ](/letter/k) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.