Kenny
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KEN-ee
- Origin
- Scottish
- UK rank, 2025
- #854 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,267 for boys
Kenny is a boys' name of Scottish origin, meaning “handsome; or born of fire”. In 2025 it ranked 854th for boys in the UK (41 babies) and 1,267th for boys in the US (155 babies).
What does Kenny mean?
Scottish: pet form of Kenneth
“handsome; or born of fire”
Pet form of Kenneth, the anglicised form of the Gaelic names Coinneach and Cináed.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kenny a girl's or a boy's name?
Kenny is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 41 boys in the UK and 6 girls and 155 boys in the US.
How popular is Kenny in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #854among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 41about 1 in 7,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 3% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 41 boys in the UK were named Kenny, making it the 854th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 760th. Its busiest year was 2009, with 55 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Kenny than any year since 2019.
Half of all the boys named Kenny in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 45 boys in the UK were given Kenny or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #729, up from #854 for this spelling alone.
- Kenny 41
- Kennie 4
Among boys in 2025, it was 873rd in England and Wales and 560th in Scotland.
Kenny in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 41 | #854 |
| 2024 | 50 | #757 |
| 2023 | 49 | #760 |
| 2022 | 52 | #722 |
| 2021 | 50 | #761 |
| 2020 | 47 | #760 |
| 2019 | 37 | #889 |
| 2018 | 52 | #728 |
| 2017 | 39 | #889 |
| 2016 | 43 | #822 |
| 2015 | 44 | #794 |
| 2014 | 46 | #756 |
| 2013 | 44 | #797 |
| 2012 | 48 | #753 |
| 2011 | 46 | #764 |
| 2010 | 35 | #911 |
| 2009 | 55 | #654 |
| 2008 | 37 | #837 |
| 2007 | 37 | #812 |
| 2006 | 29 | #914 |
| 2005 | 44 | #658 |
| 2004 | 32 | #782 |
| 2003 | 26 | #862 |
| 2002 | 33 | #658 |
| 2001 | 38 | #567 |
| 2000 | 42 | #531 |
| 1999 | 34 | #604 |
| 1998 | 36 | #569 |
| 1997 | 54 | #437 |
| 1996 | 38 | #506 |
How popular is Kenny in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,267among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 155about 1 in 11,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 29% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 155 boys in the US were named Kenny, making it the 1,267th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,086th. Its busiest year was 1960, with 1,934 boys. It first appears in the records in 1908. 6 girls were also named Kenny in 2025 (13,203rd for girls).
Half of all the boys named Kenny in the US since 1880 were born between 1958 and 1992, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kenny in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 155 | #1,267 |
| 2024 | 140 | #1,355 |
| 2023 | 162 | #1,223 |
| 2022 | 160 | #1,228 |
| 2021 | 158 | #1,218 |
| 2020 | 182 | #1,086 |
| 2019 | 257 | #862 |
| 2018 | 207 | #998 |
| 2017 | 217 | #958 |
| 2016 | 242 | #897 |
| 2015 | 247 | #892 |
| 2014 | 265 | #846 |
| 2013 | 283 | #795 |
| 2012 | 310 | #746 |
| 2011 | 328 | #701 |
| 2010 | 385 | #630 |
| 2009 | 404 | #618 |
| 2008 | 493 | #537 |
| 2007 | 522 | #505 |
| 2006 | 521 | #497 |
| 2005 | 555 | #461 |
| 2004 | 520 | #481 |
| 2003 | 527 | #475 |
| 2002 | 550 | #447 |
| 2001 | 511 | #465 |
| 2000 | 566 | #430 |
| 1999 | 513 | #446 |
| 1998 | 458 | #477 |
| 1997 | 555 | #417 |
| 1996 | 569 | #407 |
| 1995 | 574 | #399 |
| 1994 | 602 | #387 |
| 1993 | 570 | #406 |
| 1992 | 505 | #437 |
| 1991 | 452 | #465 |
| 1990 | 516 | #429 |
| 1989 | 556 | #394 |
| 1988 | 506 | #392 |
| 1987 | 539 | #361 |
| 1986 | 541 | #349 |
| 1985 | 573 | #335 |
| 1984 | 528 | #349 |
| 1983 | 548 | #337 |
| 1982 | 598 | #319 |
| 1981 | 633 | #303 |
| 1980 | 574 | #330 |
| 1979 | 493 | #358 |
| 1978 | 431 | #371 |
| 1977 | 402 | #393 |
| 1976 | 417 | #376 |
| 1975 | 354 | #410 |
| 1974 | 448 | #365 |
| 1973 | 470 | #354 |
| 1972 | 501 | #344 |
| 1971 | 605 | #311 |
| 1970 | 668 | #302 |
| 1969 | 676 | #289 |
| 1968 | 751 | #265 |
| 1967 | 820 | #246 |
| 1966 | 928 | #232 |
| 1965 | 1,103 | #217 |
| 1964 | 1,403 | #200 |
| 1963 | 1,453 | #203 |
| 1962 | 1,594 | #189 |
| 1961 | 1,701 | #179 |
| 1960 | 1,934 | #169 |
| 1959 | 1,763 | #174 |
| 1958 | 1,422 | #197 |
| 1957 | 1,073 | #231 |
| 1956 | 803 | #255 |
| 1955 | 689 | #272 |
| 1954 | 571 | #301 |
| 1953 | 512 | #316 |
| 1952 | 555 | #300 |
| 1951 | 487 | #317 |
| 1950 | 514 | #299 |
| 1949 | 544 | #291 |
| 1948 | 617 | #265 |
| 1947 | 692 | #251 |
| 1946 | 609 | #254 |
| 1945 | 520 | #253 |
| 1944 | 467 | #275 |
| 1943 | 434 | #295 |
| 1942 | 400 | #307 |
| 1941 | 345 | #312 |
| 1940 | 317 | #314 |
| 1939 | 285 | #326 |
| 1938 | 223 | #378 |
| 1937 | 199 | #391 |
| 1936 | 133 | #491 |
| 1935 | 122 | #522 |
| 1934 | 84 | #657 |
| 1933 | 73 | #703 |
| 1932 | 64 | #793 |
| 1931 | 70 | #733 |
| 1930 | 57 | #873 |
| 1929 | 48 | #975 |
| 1928 | 39 | #1,125 |
| 1927 | 39 | #1,145 |
| 1926 | 24 | #1,515 |
| 1925 | 21 | #1,678 |
| 1924 | 32 | #1,287 |
| 1923 | 25 | #1,502 |
| 1922 | 13 | #2,346 |
| 1921 | 14 | #2,264 |
| 1920 | 7 | #3,488 |
| 1919 | 17 | #1,881 |
| 1918 | 12 | #2,397 |
| 1917 | 14 | #2,090 |
| 1916 | 10 | #2,542 |
| 1915 | 9 | #2,620 |
| 1914 | 7 | #2,650 |
| 1913 | 7 | #2,272 |
| 1912 | 9 | #1,745 |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 5 | #1,439 |
| 1908 | 6 | #1,216 |
Nicknames for Kenny
- Ken 6 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Kenny
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Brody Kody Cody Rory Keegan Conan Kevin Casey Kayden Teddy Brady Kenan
Other spellings of Kenny
Names related to Kenny
More Scottish names
Isla Finley Logan Arabella Cameron Bonnie Paisley Carson Maxwell Brodie Finlay Blair Lennox Skye Knox Dallas
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, “Kenny: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kenny, updated 20 October 2026.