Boy · Scottish Gaelic, through English
Ken
Say it: KEN
Meaning
A short form of Kenneth, which Anglicizes Gaelic Cináed (meaning uncertain) and Coinneach ('handsome, comely').
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
Most used as a given name in its own right in the US in the 1940s to 1960s.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1960s
In the United States
- 32,839 babies given this name since 1900
- At its height in 1960, about 1 in 1,200 boys
- 55 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Kenn
Famous bearers
- Ken Griffey Jr., American baseball player
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.