Kennedy
Kennedy is a unisex given name in the English language. The name is an Anglicised form of a masculine given name in the Irish language.
Meaning & Origin of Kennedy
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kennedy is a unisex given name in the English language. The name is an Anglicised form of a masculine given name in the Irish language.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Etymology
The Story of Kennedy
As a girl name
Kennedy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1957, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 4,522 Kennedys were born — ranking #58 that year. As of 2026, Kennedy ranks #89 for girls with 2,784 births, falling sharply (-21%). In total, more than 96K Kennedys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Kennedy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1912, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1964, when 229 Kennedys were born — ranking #515 that year. As of 2026, Kennedy ranks #1,900 for boys with 85 births, falling sharply (-26%). In total, more than 8K Kennedys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kennedy
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kennedy 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 Kennedy
What does the name Kennedy mean?
How popular is Kennedy in 2026?
When was Kennedy most popular?
In which U.S. states is Kennedy most popular?
Is Kennedy a unisex name?
What names go well with Kennedy?
About the name Kennedy
Kennedy is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1957 and has accumulated 96K births in the dataset. Kennedy's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #54. Use the chart and map above to compare Kennedy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.