Kenya
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KEN-ya
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,990 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #2,485 for girls
Kenya is a girls' name. In 2025 it ranked 5,990th for girls in the UK (3 babies) and 2,485th for girls in the US (71 babies).
What does Kenya mean?
From the country, named after Mount Kenya
Named after the East African country, which takes its name from Mount Kenya.
Is Kenya a girl's or a boy's name?
Kenya is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 girls in the UK and 71 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kenya in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,990among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 3about 1 in 93,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 44% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 3 girls in the UK were named Kenya, making it the 5,990th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,110th. Its busiest year was 1998, with 25 girls.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the fewest girls named Kenya since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Kenya in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2013. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 5,925th in England and Wales.
Kenya in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,990 |
| 2024 | 5 | #4,253 |
| 2023 | 7 | #3,388 |
| 2022 | 9 | #2,805 |
| 2021 | 10 | #2,658 |
| 2020 | 5 | #4,110 |
| 2019 | 13 | #2,157 |
| 2018 | 9 | #2,825 |
| 2017 | 10 | #2,652 |
| 2016 | 8 | #3,105 |
| 2015 | 7 | #3,433 |
| 2014 | 9 | #2,809 |
| 2013 | 9 | #2,796 |
| 2012 | 8 | #3,148 |
| 2011 | 11 | #2,393 |
| 2010 | 11 | #2,379 |
| 2009 | 12 | #2,153 |
| 2008 | 23 | #1,346 |
| 2007 | 18 | #1,544 |
| 2006 | 20 | #1,364 |
| 2005 | 22 | #1,215 |
| 2004 | 17 | #1,399 |
| 2003 | 13 | #1,649 |
| 2002 | 18 | #1,225 |
| 2001 | 16 | #1,325 |
| 2000 | 22 | #1,043 |
| 1999 | 22 | #1,035 |
| 1998 | 25 | #955 |
| 1997 | 16 | #1,278 |
| 1996 | 16 | #1,244 |
How popular is Kenya in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,485among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 71about 1 in 23,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 50% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 71 girls in the US were named Kenya, making it the 2,485th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,206th. Its busiest year was 1973, with 894 girls. It first appears in the records in 1952.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Kenya than any year since 1966.
Half of all the girls named Kenya in the US since 1880 were born between 1978 and 2006, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 261 girls in the US were given Kenya or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #906, up from #2,485 for this spelling alone.
Kenya in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 71 | #2,485 |
| 2024 | 124 | #1,657 |
| 2023 | 135 | #1,569 |
| 2022 | 166 | #1,381 |
| 2021 | 162 | #1,364 |
| 2020 | 190 | #1,206 |
| 2019 | 228 | #1,092 |
| 2018 | 242 | #1,057 |
| 2017 | 275 | #964 |
| 2016 | 326 | #863 |
| 2015 | 309 | #892 |
| 2014 | 403 | #700 |
| 2013 | 469 | #602 |
| 2012 | 569 | #534 |
| 2011 | 337 | #802 |
| 2010 | 395 | #715 |
| 2009 | 478 | #629 |
| 2008 | 570 | #540 |
| 2007 | 587 | #534 |
| 2006 | 578 | #523 |
| 2005 | 466 | #610 |
| 2004 | 432 | #631 |
| 2003 | 475 | #581 |
| 2002 | 493 | #553 |
| 2001 | 466 | #559 |
| 2000 | 524 | #508 |
| 1999 | 456 | #552 |
| 1998 | 471 | #534 |
| 1997 | 452 | #526 |
| 1996 | 600 | #425 |
| 1995 | 673 | #394 |
| 1994 | 681 | #377 |
| 1993 | 682 | #375 |
| 1992 | 473 | #508 |
| 1991 | 366 | #616 |
| 1990 | 366 | #613 |
| 1989 | 349 | #607 |
| 1988 | 263 | #713 |
| 1987 | 249 | #725 |
| 1986 | 239 | #741 |
| 1985 | 290 | #640 |
| 1984 | 314 | #582 |
| 1983 | 389 | #499 |
| 1982 | 411 | #496 |
| 1981 | 416 | #491 |
| 1980 | 520 | #420 |
| 1979 | 630 | #358 |
| 1978 | 589 | #359 |
| 1977 | 712 | #330 |
| 1976 | 713 | #317 |
| 1975 | 864 | #281 |
| 1974 | 811 | #294 |
| 1973 | 894 | #275 |
| 1972 | 556 | #383 |
| 1971 | 398 | #484 |
| 1970 | 335 | #554 |
| 1969 | 219 | #670 |
| 1968 | 125 | #927 |
| 1967 | 77 | #1,209 |
| 1966 | 66 | #1,335 |
| 1965 | 49 | #1,595 |
| 1964 | 57 | #1,497 |
| 1963 | 32 | #2,093 |
| 1962 | 29 | #2,209 |
| 1961 | 18 | #2,956 |
| 1960 | 19 | #2,819 |
| 1959 | 19 | #2,677 |
| 1958 | 19 | #2,662 |
| 1957 | 13 | #3,308 |
| 1956 | 8 | #4,466 |
| 1955 | 14 | #3,094 |
| 1954 | 11 | #3,489 |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 5 | #5,561 |
Names like Kenya
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keira Kiara Eden Erin Ffion Caitlin Cara Caoimhe Brianna Cassidy Jasmine Molly
Other spellings of Kenya
Names related to Kenya
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, “Kenya: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kenya, updated 20 October 2026.