Kent
Kent is a male given name. It is also often a surname Notable people with the name include:
Meaning & Origin of Kent
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kent is a male given name. It is also often a surname Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Kent
Kent first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1885, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1962, when 2,588 Kents were born — ranking #136 that year. As of 2026, Kent ranks #1,713 for baby boys with 98 births, falling sharply (-22%). In total, more than 69K Kents have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Kent
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Kent Benson (born 1954), American former collegiate and professional basketball player
- Kent Broadhurst (born 1940), American actor, playwright, screenwriter and painter
- Kent Brown (disambiguation)
- Kent Cheng (born 1951), Hong Kong actor and director
- Kent Emanuel (born 1992), American professional baseball pitcher
- Kent Haruf (1943–2014), American novelist
- Kent Henry (1948–2009), American guitarist and songwriter
- Kent Hrbek (born 1960), former American Major League Baseball player
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Kent
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kent 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 Kent
What does the name Kent mean?
How popular is Kent in 2026?
When was Kent most popular?
In which U.S. states is Kent most popular?
Is Kent a unisex name?
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About the name Kent
Kent is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1885 and has accumulated 69K births in the dataset. Kent's peak popularity came in 1962 when it ranked #136. Use the chart and map above to compare Kent's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1962 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.