Kendis as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kendis

What is the meaning of the name Kendis ?

The baby name Kendis is a girl name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KEN-dis.

Kendis is African American, English, Greek in Origin.

Kendis is best explained as a modern English spelling variant in the Candace/Candice family rather than as an ancient Greek name in its own right. The remote source is Meroitic kdke or ktke, a Kushite royal title, rendered in Greek as Κανδάκη, Kandakē, and then Latinized as Candace. Its literal sense is usually given as queen mother, queen regent, or royal woman; the -is ending reflects English respelling patterns around Candice and Candis, not a separate classical suffix.

Candace entered Christian name use through Acts 8:27, where it identifies the queen of the Ethiopians, a Nubian/Kushite ruler rather than a personal name. Kendis appears in U.S. records mainly after the mid-20th century, rare and mostly feminine, with a small male minority. Name Census’ 2020 U.S. Census summary reports 172 bearers, including 82 Black or African American respondents, making the name demonstrably present in African American naming usage, though not exclusively so. Related forms include Candace, Candice, Kandis, and Kendice.