Unisex name · English
Kendall
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: valley of the River KentKendall is a gender-neutral name that comes from English and means "valley of the River Kent". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Valley of the River Kent
- Origin
- English
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #328 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Kendall
As a gender-neutral name, Kendall comes from English and means "valley of the River Kent". It is used in English.
Kendall is also a surname: the 1,188th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 28,998 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Kendall on our names that mean water or sea and nature names lists.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Kendall on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Kendall on 1 list.
“Valley of the River Kent; English, from a town in Cumbria”
From Gender neutral names, gender-neutral surname names
How popular is Kendall?
In 2025, 932 girls and 163 boys in the US were named Kendall.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #328
- 932 babies, 580 per million girls
- Best rank
- #116 in 2012
- 2,625 babies that year
- Babies since 1929
- At least 66,533
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 1 per million |
| 1940s | 7 per million |
| 1950s | 15 per million |
| 1960s | 49 per million |
| 1970s | 69 per million |
| 1980s | 247 per million |
| 1990s | 702 per million |
| 2000s | 1,138 per million |
| 2010s | 1,157 per million |
| 2020s | 620 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #193 | #224 | #272 | #275 | #314 | #306 | #301 | #317 | #312 | #328 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,232
- 163 babies, 95 per million boys
- Best rank
- #287 in 1993
- 965 babies that year
- Babies since 1906
- At least 35,350
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 14 per million |
| 1910s | 53 per million |
| 1920s | 59 per million |
| 1930s | 75 per million |
| 1940s | 89 per million |
| 1950s | 131 per million |
| 1960s | 226 per million |
| 1970s | 206 per million |
| 1980s | 258 per million |
| 1990s | 402 per million |
| 2000s | 252 per million |
| 2010s | 166 per million |
| 2020s | 103 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #925 | #859 | #873 | #1,037 | #1,066 | #1,113 | #1,058 | #1,221 | #1,225 | #1,232 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names with a similar meaning
- RioRiver (Spanish, unisex)
- SabrinaFrom Sabrina, the Latin name of the River Severn (Welsh, girl)
- DouglasDark river (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- GlenValley (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- GlennValley (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- KelvinFrom the River Kelvin (Scottish place name, boy)
- MonroeFrom the mouth of the Roe river (Gaelic, unisex)
- ShannonFrom Ireland's longest river (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- AltonTown at a river's source (Old English, boy)
- AyrtonSettlement on the River Aire (English, boy)
- CamdenFrom a surname from a place name, perhaps enclosed valley (Old English, boy)
- ClodaghFrom a river in County Waterford (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- DaleValley (Old English, unisex)
- DallasFrom a surname meaning valley house or meadow dwelling (Old English, unisex)
- DeanFrom a surname meaning valley (Old English, boy)
Middle names for Kendall
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More names from English
- LilianaLatinate form of Lillian, probably from Elizabeth or Lily (English, girl)
- LilyLily flower (English, girl)
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
- AinsleyFrom a place named for a solitary or hermitage clearing (English, unisex)
- ArmstrongStrong in the arm (English, boy)
- CataleyaFrom cattleya, an orchid named for William Cattley (English, girl)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- HeatherHeather plant (English, girl)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- LillyVariant of Lily, the flower (English, girl)
- ScottFrom Scotland (English, boy)
- AceFrom the English word ace, highest rank (English, boy)
- AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
- AddisonSon of Adam (English, girl)
- AloraVariant of Elora, probably invented; used in the film Willow (English, girl)
- AmoraApparently a modern coinage based on Latin amor, love (English, girl)
- AndersonSon of Andrew (English, boy)
- ArloMeaning uncertain; perhaps from Spenser's Arlo Hill (English, boy)
Kendall: common questions
What does the name Kendall mean?
Kendall comes from English and means "valley of the River Kent".
Is Kendall a boy or girl name?
Kendall is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 932 girls and 163 boys in the US were named Kendall, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Kendall come from?
Kendall comes from English and means "valley of the River Kent". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Kendall?
Kendall ranked #328 in the US in 2025, with 932 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Kendall?
Middle names that flow well with Kendall include Beau, Jade, Lucy, Mercy and Paige. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.