Kennedy
The Irish surname Ó Cinnéide, “ugly head” or “helmeted head.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Kennedy first shows up in the national records in 1912. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 2011 to 2025. Its biggest year was 2015, when 4,523 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 58 nationally. Its best ranking came in 2014, at No. 54. In 2025 it ranked No. 85 for girls. The name has also seen real use for boys: 7,457 of the 101,120 Americans given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Kennedi (15,552), Kennadi (2,168), Kenadee (1,880), Kennady (1,850), Kenadie (1,725), Kenadi (1,583) (total births since 1880)
Explore Kennedy interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | No. 6086 |
| 1960s | 16 | No. 5891 |
| 1970s | 23 | No. 7649 |
| 1980s | 126 | No. 3524 |
| 1990s | 8,552 | No. 165 |
| 2000s | 27,569 | No. 110 |
| 2010s | 38,593 | No. 54 |
| 2020s | 18,779 | No. 70 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.