Kennedy is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Kennedy means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Kennedy across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Kennedy has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Kennedy is a girl name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “helmeted head”. originally an Irish surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 101,120 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,280 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 183 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 9 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 19 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Kennedy per year, United States (1912 to 2025). United States peaked in 2015 (4,688/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (101/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2003 (10/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2002 (4/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1998 (3/yr).
Kennedy has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2015, when it ranked #146 nationally (given to 4,733 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2010s.
Kennedi · Kandy · Kenda · Kenadi · Kennadi
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