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Kennedy as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kennedy

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The baby name Kennedy is a Unisex name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈkɛnədi/ (KEN-ə-dee).

Kennedy is Irish in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: /ˈkɛnədi/ (KEN-ə-dee)

What is the meaning of the name Kennedy ?

The baby name Kennedy is a Unisex name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈkɛnədi/ (KEN-ə-dee).

Kennedy is Irish in Origin.

Kennedy is a unisex given name derived from the Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic origin, from Ó Cinnéide/Ó Cinnéidigh meaning “descendant of Cinnéidigh.” The early personal name Cinnéidigh combines ceann “head” with a second element variously interpreted as éide/éidigh, yielding the traditional sense “helmet‑headed/armored head”; some scholars gloss it more literally as “ugly‑headed,” a meaning later softened in modern use. The name is associated with medieval bearers such as Cennétig, father of Brian Boru, and with the Scottish Clan Kennedy of Ayrshire.

Used as a given name in the English‑speaking world since the late 20th century, Kennedy surged in the United States after the prominence of President John F. Kennedy, becoming especially popular for girls while remaining technically unisex. Variants and spellings include Kennedi, Kenedi, Kenady, Kenadie, Kennady, and Kenedy; related surnominal forms include Kenney and O’Kennedy. Common short forms are Ken and Kenny.

Kennedy has the following similar or variant Names

Kennedy – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 874
Ireland Boys 2016 #1 760
BW 0 #14 6 960
KR Boys 0 #27 1 897
NA 0 #31 3 2,537
HT Boys 0 #34 1 903
BI Boys 0 #43 2 917
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
CM 0 #55 2 2,592
BW Boys 0 #60 100 4,685
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
AO 0 #75 3 2,729
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
United States Girls 2024 #89 2,881 8,487
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
NA Boys 0 #101 149 6,830
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
PH 0 #110 1 5,607
GH Boys 0 #123 425 8,138
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
CY Boys 0 #130 2 3,473
BN Boys 0 #134 6 6,332
ID Boys 0 #134 2 4,130
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
CR 0 #163 3 5,526
GH 0 #173 71 5,396
HU Boys 0 #173 2 3,954
MT Boys 0 #176 4 4,064
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
Canada Girls 2024 #181 107 2,795
AE 0 #182 6 10,220
NG 0 #188 78 5,926
Sweden Boys 2017 #189 2 1,544
MO Boys 0 #210 14 5,842
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
LU Boys 0 #218 3 4,970
AO Boys 0 #219 24 5,568
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
NA Girls 0 #232 6 7,146
EC Boys 0 #241 6 3,322
NG Boys 0 #248 1,946 16,906
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
TW Boys 0 #250 7 7,111
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
JM Boys 0 #263 10 6,876
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
GR Boys 0 #269 5 6,912
JM Girls 0 #274 5 7,507
SG 0 #278 5 11,010
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
JP Boys 0 #296 8 7,909
Canada Boys 2024 #300 7 2,588
BR Boys 0 #305 832 12,213
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
CN Boys 0 #308 12 9,639
SA 0 #311 2 10,560
MY 0 #317 14 12,352
PE 0 #324 6 6,350
DK Boys 0 #326 7 7,401
BR 0 #329 17 5,969
GH Girls 0 #329 9 6,973
GT 0 #332 7 5,948
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
PT Boys 0 #343 25 7,951
QA Girls 0 #343 1 15,378
PH Boys 0 #351 33 11,440
HK 0 #354 4 8,483
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
MU Boys 0 #363 7 8,477
France Boys 2020 #386 6 2,846
YE 0 #395 4 8,639
France Girls 2017 #402 3 3,248
ZA 0 #407 41 14,421
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
PA Boys 0 #408 74 9,305
UY Boys 0 #408 6 5,922
CM Boys 0 #410 146 12,054
SD Boys 0 #422 24 10,523
OM Girls 0 #424 1 15,987
GT Boys 0 #426 49 7,625
PH Girls 0 #427 3 13,098
CL 0 #434 1 6,867
CR Boys 0 #462 26 10,188
HK Boys 0 #477 51 12,905
AR Boys 0 #478 6 7,628
CO 0 #509 2 7,768
PA Girls 0 #515 4 9,861
LY 0 #518 18 12,703
CR Girls 0 #520 13 11,342
RU Boys 0 #525 2 12,621
CM Girls 0 #530 11 11,671
UY Girls 0 #536 1 6,731
GT Girls 0 #537 5 7,500
BH 0 #540 14 17,937
PS Girls 0 #547 1 10,981
ZA Boys 0 #547 904 25,619
PS Boys 0 #557 5 10,655
KW Girls 0 #558 4 19,177
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
BO Boys 0 #580 13 9,244
PE Boys 0 #588 324 14,506
AE Girls 0 #595 3 20,968
QA Boys 0 #595 113 18,093
IL Boys 0 #620 6 10,983
SG Girls 0 #631 2 18,916
CL Boys 0 #642 24 13,390
CO Boys 0 #643 297 15,656
IL Girls 0 #644 2 11,648
SG Boys 0 #646 52 17,960
HK Girls 0 #648 3 16,104
BO Girls 0 #651 1 9,488
Finland Boys 2026 #678 5 3,552
LB 0 #689 2 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #694 4 13,071
IT 0 #704 11 4,183
NG Girls 0 #706 81 15,093
MY Boys 0 #712 430 25,439
KW Boys 0 #741 29 18,755
United States Boys 2024 #798 95 7,044
OM Boys 0 #859 23 17,948
TN 0 #862 4 13,765
Spain Boys 0 #882 49 5,610
NL Boys 0 #900 52 5,873
CL Girls 0 #908 8 14,098
EG Boys 0 #919 7 15,035
PE Girls 0 #931 13 14,861
Germany Boys 0 #935 18 5,697
MX Boys 0 #937 46 16,355
IN Boys 0 #966 36 16,750
BR Girls 0 #989 4 12,708
SA Girls 0 #1,009 6 25,931
AE Boys 0 #1,015 78 22,615
CO Girls 0 #1,065 14 16,140
MY Girls 0 #1,068 5 24,821
ZA Girls 0 #1,113 29 25,928
MX Girls 0 #1,141 43 17,781
MA 0 #1,192 8 20,986
TR 0 #1,199 13 19,440
DZ 0 #1,227 8 20,130
IT Boys 0 #1,289 183 10,046
IT Girls 0 #1,426 21 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,512 103 28,008

Kennedy is popular in 76 countries — most recent births per country:

Canada
Scotland, United Kingdom
United States
France
New York City (Black, non-Hispanic), United States

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People also ask about Kennedy

Kennedy is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Kennedy is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /ˈkɛnədi/ (KEN-ə-dee).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Kennedi, Kennadie, Kennedie, Kenedi, Kenadie and Kynedy.
Across languages, Kennedy has these equivalents: Ó Cinnéide (original Gaelic surname), Cinnéidigh (Gaelic personal name), Kenneth (distinct name often conflated).
Yes, very popular — Kennedy ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Kennedy ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).