Boy name · Scottish Gaelic
Kenneth
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: anglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fireKenneth is a boy's name that comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "anglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire". It is used in English, Scottish and Scandinavian.
- Meaning
- Anglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire
- Origin
- Scottish Gaelic
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #294 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Kenneth
As a boy's name, Kenneth comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "anglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire". It is used in English, Scottish and Scandinavian.
Its meaning puts Kenneth on our names that mean fire list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Kenneth on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Kenneth on 1 list.
“After Cináed mac Ailpín, often called the first king of Scots”
From Highland cattle names, scottish bull names for boys
How popular is Kenneth?
- US rank in 2025
- #294
- 1,148 babies, 672 per million boys
- Best rank
- #13 in 1939
- Most babies: 28,064 in 1957
- Babies since 1880
- At least 1,283,974
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 330 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 1,138 per million |
| 1900s | 3,373 per million |
| 1910s | 6,479 per million |
| 1920s | 9,029 per million |
| 1930s | 11,840 per million |
| 1940s | 13,337 per million |
| 1950s | 13,000 per million |
| 1960s | 11,812 per million |
| 1970s | 6,750 per million |
| 1980s | 4,827 per million |
| 1990s | 2,990 per million |
| 2000s | 1,708 per million |
| 2010s | 1,075 per million |
| 2020s | 755 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #208 | #217 | #225 | #233 | #243 | #258 | #263 | #262 | #284 | #294 |
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.
Nicknames for Kenneth
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Kencommon English nickname
- Kennycommon English nickname
Names with a similar meaning
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- NataliaBorn on Christmas day (Latin, girl)
- EugeniaWell born (Greek, girl)
- EugenieWell born (Greek, girl)
- HassanHandsome, good (Arabic, boy)
- RenatoBorn again (Latin, boy)
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
- AidanLittle fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- AidenLittle fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- AodhFire, flame (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- AresPerhaps from Greek words for bane, ruin, or male (Greek, boy)
- AydenVariant of Aidan, little fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- BeauHandsome, beautiful (French, boy)
- EganLittle fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
Middle names for Kenneth
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Scottish Gaelic
- AngusOne strength (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- BlairPlain, field (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- BowieYellow (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- CameronCrooked nose (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- CampbellCrooked mouth (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- ColinWhelp, young dog (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- CraigRock, crag (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DonaldWorld ruler (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DonnchadhBrown warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DouglasDark river (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DuffDark (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DuncanBrown warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FearghasMan of vigor (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FinleyFair warrior (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- GlenValley (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- GlennValley (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- KenzieSon of the handsome one (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- KyleNarrow strait (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Kenneth: common questions
What does the name Kenneth mean?
Kenneth comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "anglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Kenneth a boy or girl name?
Kenneth is mainly a boy's name.
What are nicknames for Kenneth?
Common nicknames for Kenneth include Ken and Kenny.
How popular is the name Kenneth?
Kenneth ranked #294 in the US in 2025, with 1,148 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Kenneth?
Middle names that flow well with Kenneth include David, Ethan, Isaac, Jack and Jonah. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.