Kennedy
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- KEN-a-dee
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,460 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #85 for girls
Unisex
Kennedy is a name of Irish origin, meaning “probably helmeted head”. In 2025 it ranked 1,460th for girls in the UK (22 babies) and 85th for girls in the US (2,933 babies).
What does Kennedy mean?
Irish: from the Irish surname Ó Cinnéide
“probably helmeted head”
From the Irish surname Ó Cinnéide; Cennétig, father of the high king Brian Boru, was an early bearer.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kennedy a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Kennedy has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 22 girls and 4 boys in the UK and 2,933 girls and 86 boys in the US.
How popular is Kennedy in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,460among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 22about 1 in 13,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 30% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 22 girls in the UK were named Kennedy, making it the 1,460th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 987th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 95 girls. 4 boys were also named Kennedy in 2025 (4,301st for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Kennedy than any year since 2012.
Half of all the girls named Kennedy in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2015. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 85% of the babies named Kennedy in the UK were girls.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,584th in England and Wales and 780th in Scotland.
Kennedy in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22 | #1,460 |
| 2024 | 25 | #1,356 |
| 2023 | 24 | #1,399 |
| 2022 | 26 | #1,325 |
| 2021 | 33 | #1,109 |
| 2020 | 37 | #987 |
| 2019 | 30 | #1,189 |
| 2018 | 34 | #1,098 |
| 2017 | 25 | #1,396 |
| 2016 | 34 | #1,096 |
| 2015 | 35 | #1,085 |
| 2014 | 25 | #1,377 |
| 2013 | 32 | #1,165 |
| 2012 | 19 | #1,681 |
| 2011 | 19 | #1,629 |
| 2010 | 25 | #1,344 |
| 2009 | 23 | #1,360 |
| 2008 | 30 | #1,090 |
| 2007 | 41 | #848 |
| 2006 | 36 | #896 |
| 2005 | 48 | #698 |
| 2004 | 48 | #670 |
| 2003 | 45 | #687 |
| 2002 | 43 | #676 |
| 2001 | 60 | #534 |
| 2000 | 63 | #509 |
| 1999 | 64 | #509 |
| 1998 | 71 | #472 |
| 1997 | 95 | #391 |
| 1996 | 94 | #388 |
How popular is Kennedy in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #85among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 2,933about 1 in 550 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 19% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 2.5%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 2,933 girls in the US were named Kennedy, making it the 85th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 72nd. Its busiest year was 2015, with 4,523 girls. It first appears in the records in 1957. 86 boys were also named Kennedy in 2025 (1,837th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Kennedy in the US since 1880 were born between 2005 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 3,370 girls in the US were given Kennedy or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #88.
In 1957, 17% of the babies named Kennedy in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 97%, with more girls than boys since 1993.
Kennedy in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,933 | #85 |
| 2024 | 2,890 | #89 |
| 2023 | 3,075 | #72 |
| 2022 | 3,077 | #74 |
| 2021 | 3,443 | #70 |
| 2020 | 3,361 | #72 |
| 2019 | 3,692 | #67 |
| 2018 | 3,946 | #59 |
| 2017 | 4,162 | #58 |
| 2016 | 4,341 | #59 |
| 2015 | 4,523 | #58 |
| 2014 | 4,498 | #54 |
| 2013 | 3,961 | #65 |
| 2012 | 3,389 | #84 |
| 2011 | 3,248 | #91 |
| 2010 | 2,833 | #111 |
| 2009 | 2,863 | #115 |
| 2008 | 2,953 | #115 |
| 2007 | 3,054 | #110 |
| 2006 | 2,904 | #115 |
| 2005 | 2,826 | #118 |
| 2004 | 2,886 | #117 |
| 2003 | 2,774 | #122 |
| 2002 | 2,513 | #136 |
| 2001 | 2,406 | #138 |
| 2000 | 2,390 | #139 |
| 1999 | 1,892 | #165 |
| 1998 | 1,658 | #183 |
| 1997 | 1,624 | #186 |
| 1996 | 1,418 | #208 |
| 1995 | 1,235 | #229 |
| 1994 | 473 | #524 |
| 1993 | 134 | #1,269 |
| 1992 | 47 | #2,607 |
| 1991 | 33 | #3,295 |
| 1990 | 38 | #2,952 |
| 1989 | 27 | #3,667 |
| 1988 | 15 | #5,316 |
| 1987 | 25 | #3,521 |
| 1986 | 17 | #4,536 |
| 1985 | 9 | #6,952 |
| 1984 | 10 | #6,290 |
| 1983 | 9 | #6,703 |
| 1982 | 9 | #6,886 |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 5 | #10,390 |
| 1979 | 6 | #9,008 |
| 1978 | 7 | #7,647 |
| 1977 | 5 | #9,650 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 5 | #9,065 |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 5 | #7,469 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 5 | #6,538 |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 6 | #5,890 |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 5 | #6,085 |
Names like Kennedy
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Cassidy Keira Caoimhe Kiara Teagan Raegan Caragh Eden Brianna Rowan Bryony Quinn
Other spellings of Kennedy
Names related to Kennedy
More Irish names
Oscar Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Orla Cody Erin Ronan Connor Declan Casey Callan Lennon
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kennedy: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kennedy, updated 20 October 2026.