Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Kenny as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kenny

Add to my Name List

The baby name Kenny is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈkɛni/ (KEN-ee).

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Pronunciation: /ˈkɛni/ (KEN-ee)

What is the meaning of the name Kenny ?

The baby name Kenny is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈkɛni/ (KEN-ee).

Kenny is in Origin.

Kenny is a familiar English diminutive of Kenneth, the anglicized form used for two Scottish Gaelic names. One, Coinneach (also Cainneach), means "handsome; fair one"; the other, Cinaed (modern Cionaodh), is commonly interpreted as "born of fire." As a pet form turned given name, Kenny inherits these meanings and a distinctly Scottish flavor, though it is readily understood across the English-speaking world.

As an independent first name, Kenny gained traction in Britain, Ireland, and North America in the mid-20th century alongside the vogue for Kenneth. It also overlaps with the Irish surname Kenny (O Cionnaith), sometimes adopted as a forename, reinforcing the "fire" etymology. Notable bearers include Kenny Rogers, Kenny Dalglish, and Kenny G. Variants and related forms: Ken, Kenn, Kennie, Keni; Kenneth; Gaelic Coinneach/Cainneach; Irish Canice; feminine Kenna.

Kenny has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Kenny

Kenny Rogers Actor · Born 1938 · United States Kenny Rogers was a beloved American singer and actor, best known for his hit song 'The Gambler'. He also starred in the film 'Six Pack' and had a successful music career with songs like 'Lucille' and 'Islands in the Stream'. Kenny Baker Actor · Born 1934 · United Kingdom Kenny Baker was a British actor best known for his role as R2-D2 in the Star Wars film series. He brought the beloved droid to life in the original trilogy and several of the prequel films. Born in 1934, Baker's performance in the iconic sci-fi saga made him a memorable figure in cinema history. Kenny Ortega Actor · Born 1950 · United States Kenny Ortega is an American director and choreographer best known for directing the High School Musical film series and the Disney Channel movie Descendants. He also choreographed the classic film Dirty Dancing. Born in 1950, Ortega has made a significant impact on both film and television with his creative vision.
Kenny Johnson Actor · Born 1963 · United States Kenny Johnson is an American actor best known for his role as Detective Curtis Lemansky on the TV series The Shield. He also played Butch 'Burner' Barnes in the series Pensacola: Wings of Gold and has appeared in shows like Sons of Anarchy and Bates Motel. Kenny Wormald Actor · Born 1984 · United States Kenny Wormald is an American actor and dancer best known for his role as Ren McCormack in the 2011 remake of the film 'Footloose'. He has also appeared in movies like 'Center Stage: Turn It Up' and 'Kid Cannabis'. Kenny Bee Actor · Born 1953 · People's Republic of China Kenny Bee is a Hong Kong singer and actor best known as the frontman of the Wynners. Born Chung Chun-to on 23 February 1953, he rose to fame with the band and later shared in the group's 1989 Golden Needle Award, one of Hong Kong music's highest honors.

Kenny – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 836
BW 0 #16 4 960
MO 0 #20 33 2,706
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
MO Boys 0 #23 423 5,842
KR Boys 0 #27 1 897
BN 0 #28 5 2,297
HT Boys 0 #30 5 903
HK Boys 0 #31 3,949 12,905
NA 0 #31 3 2,537
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
BI Boys 0 #41 4 917
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
HN Boys 0 #50 3 749
MY 0 #53 389 12,352
PR 0 #54 2 1,497
MY Boys 0 #55 5,742 25,439
CM 0 #56 1 2,592
TW Boys 0 #60 317 7,111
BW Boys 0 #62 97 4,685
LU 0 #62 5 2,830
HK 0 #64 473 8,483
CN 0 #66 20 3,857
SG Boys 0 #67 1,927 17,960
TW 0 #67 34 4,523
BW Girls 0 #68 89 4,216
IN 0 #70 2 2,963
JP 0 #71 7 4,057
AO 0 #72 6 2,729
JM 0 #76 12 3,714
MD Boys 0 #81 1 756
SG 0 #89 216 11,010
ID Girls 0 #98 5 3,319
BN Boys 0 #102 32 6,332
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
PH 0 #106 5 5,607
CN Boys 0 #108 300 9,639
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
EC 0 #114 8 2,502
ID Boys 0 #116 16 4,130
OM 0 #119 3 6,215
EE Boys 0 #124 2 2,087
CY Boys 0 #128 4 3,473
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
IQ 0 #131 3 3,533
MU 0 #133 5 3,613
PA 0 #134 5 3,797
CR 0 #141 18 5,526
PR Boys 0 #141 35 2,508
Norway Boys 2012 #148 4 485
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
NG 0 #156 110 5,926
AE 0 #162 16 10,220
ZA Boys 0 #163 3,920 25,619
MT Boys 0 #175 5 4,064
DK 0 #177 27 5,198
Sweden Boys 2021 #181 3 1,578
UY 0 #181 2 2,477
CZ 0 #184 3 3,154
MU Boys 0 #187 192 8,477
NA Boys 0 #188 48 6,830
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
JM Boys 0 #191 83 6,876
NG Boys 0 #191 2,768 16,906
EC Boys 0 #193 47 3,322
RU 0 #193 2 3,641
AO Boys 0 #198 45 5,568
LU Boys 0 #198 21 4,970
NA Girls 0 #201 24 7,146
Belgium Boys 2005 #202 22 410
DK Boys 0 #210 119 7,401
NG Girls 0 #210 1,478 15,093
AO Girls 0 #211 7 4,575
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
IR 0 #226 6 4,221
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
GH 0 #231 13 5,396
JP Boys 0 #242 56 7,909
JM Girls 0 #246 14 7,507
JP Girls 0 #249 3 6,592
EC Girls 0 #255 4 3,650
MO Girls 0 #255 9 7,056
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
GR Boys 0 #265 9 6,912
PA Boys 0 #267 265 9,305
AF Boys 0 #273 2 3,535
KZ Boys 0 #274 16 6,578
PE 0 #277 34 6,350
CZ Boys 0 #281 24 6,530
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
GT 0 #282 33 5,948
TW Girls 0 #286 4 8,139
GH Boys 0 #287 60 8,138
GT Boys 0 #289 201 7,625
Canada Boys 2024 #292 15 2,588
CR Boys 0 #295 224 10,188
ZA 0 #300 148 14,421
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
SA 0 #306 7 10,560
France Boys 2021 #307 82 2,865
PH Boys 0 #314 70 11,440
PT Boys 0 #324 44 7,951
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
PL Boys 0 #332 9 6,459
BR 0 #335 11 5,969
GH Girls 0 #335 3 6,973
CN Girls 0 #340 10 8,829
QA Girls 0 #341 3 15,378
PE Boys 0 #349 1,089 14,506
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
BO 0 #355 27 6,868
NL 0 #358 34 2,481
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
UY Boys 0 #367 33 5,922
BO Boys 0 #369 264 9,244
CL 0 #382 30 6,867
JO Boys 0 #388 2 7,057
CO Boys 0 #396 824 15,656
Finland Boys 0 #397 31 2,041
YE 0 #397 2 8,639
MX 0 #398 16 8,339
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
Germany 0 #412 26 2,542
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
France Girls 2014 #414 4 3,259
OM Girls 0 #418 7 15,987
CO 0 #420 61 7,768
Austria Boys 0 #423 20 2,180
CL Boys 0 #423 278 13,390
PH Girls 0 #423 7 13,098
NL Boys 0 #430 715 5,873
RU Boys 0 #437 69 12,621
Spain 0 #438 15 2,326
AR Boys 0 #453 15 7,628
PA Girls 0 #460 22 9,861
SD Boys 0 #464 3 10,523
PT Girls 0 #470 2 7,952
GT Girls 0 #475 31 7,500
CM Boys 0 #495 56 12,054
LY 0 #502 34 12,703
CR Girls 0 #515 18 11,342
RU Girls 0 #519 5 11,913
CM Girls 0 #521 20 11,671
HK Girls 0 #524 92 16,104
PS Boys 0 #527 22 10,655
IR Boys 0 #528 25 10,162
UY Girls 0 #532 5 6,731
AE Girls 0 #542 12 20,968
PS Girls 0 #542 6 10,981
BH 0 #543 11 17,937
KW Girls 0 #554 8 19,177
SG Girls 0 #562 25 18,916
BO Girls 0 #571 41 9,488
Finland Boys 2026 #583 100 3,552
IL Boys 0 #585 23 10,983
BD Boys 0 #600 6 10,045
Germany Boys 0 #607 386 5,697
IN Girls 0 #622 10 13,121
AR Girls 0 #625 6 8,289
LB 0 #641 18 13,263
IL Girls 0 #642 4 11,648
QA Boys 0 #653 55 18,093
IT 0 #693 22 4,183
BR Boys 0 #697 55 12,213
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
MX Boys 0 #704 287 16,355
Spain Boys 0 #714 222 5,610
KW Boys 0 #730 40 18,755
Finland Girls 2026 #732 7 3,895
CO Girls 0 #737 372 16,140
United States Boys 2024 #753 140 7,044
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
CL Girls 0 #774 78 14,098
OM Boys 0 #851 31 17,948
TN 0 #860 6 13,765
PE Girls 0 #865 79 14,861
EG Boys 0 #874 13 15,035
ZA Girls 0 #876 266 25,928
MY Girls 0 #892 103 24,821
United States Girls 2024 #902 15 8,487
SA Girls 0 #916 20 25,931
BR Girls 0 #926 16 12,708
EG Girls 0 #938 22 14,742
MX Girls 0 #944 242 17,781
NL Girls 0 #944 12 5,933
Spain Girls 0 #961 23 5,561
IN Boys 0 #976 26 16,750
AE Boys 0 #992 101 22,615
MA 0 #1,109 20 20,986
DZ 0 #1,162 15 20,130
TR 0 #1,187 25 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,211 261 10,046
IT Girls 0 #1,400 47 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,535 80 28,008

Kenny is popular in 92 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
Scotland, United Kingdom
Norway
United States

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Kenny

Kenny is predominantly a boy's name.
Kenny is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈkɛni/ (KEN-ee).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Ken, Kennie, Kenney and Keni.
Across languages, Kenny has these equivalents: Coinneach (Scottish Gaelic), Cinaed/Cináed (Gaelic), Cionnaith (Irish).
Yes, very popular — Kenny ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Kenny ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Kenny's popularity is declining significantly. It moved from #248 in 2011 to #307 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 8 notable people named Kenny are in our database, including Kenny Rogers (Actor), Kenny Baker (Actor), Kenny Ortega (Actor).