Fun Facts About the Name Ken
- More than 33 thousand babies named Ken: U.S. records list 33,040 babies given the name Ken from 1880 through 2025. Even 25 girls received the name Ken - about 1 girl for every 1,321 boys.
What Does the Name Ken Mean?
Ken is an English masculine given name used mainly as a short form of Kenneth, and it is also an independent Japanese masculine name. In English, Ken does not have its own etymological root; its meaning is inherited from the longer name it shortens. Kenneth is an anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Coinneach, commonly explained as "handsome" or "comely," from Gaelic caoin. The Old Irish form Cináed is sometimes analyzed as cinn "head" and áed "fire," giving the traditional interpretation "born of fire." Because the two derivations are not fully settled, Kenneth is often described with either meaning. In Japanese, Ken is written with kanji and has no single fixed meaning; common choices include 健 "healthy, strong" and 賢 "wise."
Ken Name History & Origins
In English, Ken is chiefly a diminutive, used as a short form of Kenneth. Kenneth is the anglicized form of the Gaelic name borne by Cináed mac Ailpín (Kenneth MacAlpin), the ninth-century king of the Picts and Dál Riata. Ken is the everyday abbreviation of Kenneth. It is also used as a short form of other English names beginning with Ken-, such as Kendrick, Kenelm, and Kenward. In Japanese, Ken is an independent masculine name written with kanji, and its meaning depends on the characters chosen. It also appears as a component in longer names such as Kenji and Kensuke. The Japanese name is not related to the English diminutive.
How Popular is the Name Ken?
Ken recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1960. Its best rank was #177 in 1960.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | #14,063 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #9,749 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #8,623 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #7,033 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #7,038 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,277 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 2024 | #3,295 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 2023 | #3,257 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 2022 | #2,658 | 50 | 0.0029% |
| 2021 | #2,542 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2020 | #2,382 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 2019 | #2,568 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 2018 | #2,219 | 62 | 0.0034% |
| 2017 | #2,161 | 63 | 0.0034% |
| 2016 | #1,733 | 90 | 0.0047% |
| 2015 | #1,760 | 87 | 0.0045% |
| 2014 | #1,774 | 85 | 0.0044% |
| 2013 | #1,890 | 75 | 0.0040% |
| 2012 | #1,509 | 107 | 0.0056% |
| 2011 | #1,694 | 88 | 0.0046% |
| 2010 | #2,027 | 68 | 0.0035% |
| 2009 | #1,570 | 104 | 0.0052% |
| 2008 | #1,511 | 108 | 0.0053% |
| 2007 | #1,378 | 120 | 0.0058% |
| 2006 | #1,244 | 135 | 0.0066% |
| 2005 | #1,305 | 117 | 0.0059% |
| 2004 | #1,055 | 153 | 0.0077% |
| 2003 | #1,287 | 110 | 0.0056% |
| 2002 | #1,095 | 134 | 0.0069% |
| 2001 | #1,132 | 124 | 0.0064% |
| 2000 | #1,134 | 123 | 0.0063% |
| 1999 | #1,117 | 119 | 0.0062% |
| 1998 | #1,193 | 104 | 0.0054% |
| 1997 | #1,021 | 125 | 0.0066% |
| 1996 | #1,035 | 119 | 0.0063% |
| 1995 | #992 | 126 | 0.0066% |
| 1994 | #1,055 | 112 | 0.0058% |
| 1993 | #1,100 | 104 | 0.0053% |
| 1992 | #1,032 | 113 | 0.0057% |
| 1991 | #942 | 127 | 0.0063% |
| 1990 | #858 | 142 | 0.0069% |
| 1989 | #860 | 137 | 0.0068% |
| 1988 | #908 | 111 | 0.0058% |
| 1987 | #831 | 126 | 0.0067% |
| 1986 | #913 | 101 | 0.0055% |
| 1985 | #853 | 112 | 0.0061% |
| 1984 | #813 | 116 | 0.0064% |
| 1983 | #855 | 105 | 0.0059% |
| 1982 | #758 | 135 | 0.0074% |
| 1981 | #719 | 145 | 0.0081% |
| 1980 | #739 | 141 | 0.0079% |
| 1979 | #795 | 119 | 0.0069% |
| 1978 | #719 | 137 | 0.0083% |
| 1977 | #764 | 124 | 0.0075% |
| 1976 | #717 | 137 | 0.0087% |
| 1975 | #660 | 156 | 0.0100% |
| 1974 | #564 | 202 | 0.0128% |
| 1973 | #515 | 232 | 0.0149% |
| 1972 | #465 | 287 | 0.0177% |
| 1971 | #426 | 363 | 0.0205% |
| 1970 | #369 | 486 | 0.0262% |
| 1969 | #356 | 495 | 0.0277% |
| 1968 | #306 | 601 | 0.0346% |
| 1967 | #284 | 649 | 0.0372% |
| 1966 | #252 | 821 | 0.0460% |
| 1965 | #218 | 1,100 | 0.0591% |
| 1964 | #192 | 1,476 | 0.0741% |
| 1963 | #178 | 1,634 | 0.0805% |
| 1962 | #181 | 1,686 | 0.0815% |
| 1961 | #188 | 1,664 | 0.0783% |
| 1960 | #177 | 1,776 | 0.0833% |
| 1959 | #182 | 1,653 | 0.0774% |
| 1958 | #185 | 1,533 | 0.0722% |
| 1957 | #221 | 1,178 | 0.0546% |
| 1956 | #285 | 657 | 0.0311% |
| 1955 | #345 | 439 | 0.0213% |
| 1954 | #367 | 370 | 0.0181% |
| 1953 | #394 | 317 | 0.0161% |
| 1952 | #382 | 321 | 0.0165% |
| 1951 | #395 | 296 | 0.0157% |
| 1950 | #362 | 347 | 0.0194% |
| 1949 | #322 | 456 | 0.0257% |
| 1948 | #261 | 622 | 0.0354% |
| 1947 | #247 | 707 | 0.0386% |
| 1946 | #227 | 684 | 0.0421% |
| 1945 | #272 | 479 | 0.0356% |
| 1944 | #287 | 427 | 0.0313% |
| 1943 | #294 | 444 | 0.0311% |
| 1942 | #302 | 407 | 0.0295% |
| 1941 | #312 | 345 | 0.0281% |
| 1940 | #327 | 303 | 0.0261% |
| 1939 | #335 | 276 | 0.0249% |
| 1938 | #349 | 252 | 0.0227% |
| 1937 | #385 | 203 | 0.0190% |
| 1936 | #376 | 211 | 0.0203% |
| 1935 | #440 | 167 | 0.0160% |
| 1934 | #457 | 152 | 0.0147% |
| 1933 | #553 | 108 | 0.0109% |
| 1932 | #511 | 127 | 0.0122% |
| 1931 | #607 | 95 | 0.0091% |
| 1930 | #728 | 76 | 0.0069% |
| 1929 | #880 | 57 | 0.0053% |
| 1928 | #1,242 | 34 | 0.0031% |
| 1927 | #1,018 | 48 | 0.0043% |
| 1926 | #925 | 54 | 0.0049% |
| 1925 | #1,134 | 39 | 0.0035% |
| 1924 | #1,260 | 34 | 0.0030% |
| 1923 | #1,345 | 30 | 0.0027% |
| 1922 | #1,382 | 29 | 0.0027% |
| 1921 | #1,615 | 23 | 0.0021% |
| 1920 | #1,292 | 32 | 0.0030% |
| 1919 | #1,781 | 19 | 0.0019% |
| 1918 | #1,951 | 17 | 0.0017% |
| 1917 | #1,618 | 21 | 0.0023% |
| 1916 | #1,812 | 17 | 0.0019% |
| 1915 | #1,581 | 20 | 0.0024% |
| 1914 | #2,041 | 11 | 0.0017% |
| 1913 | #1,881 | 10 | 0.0020% |
| 1912 | #1,318 | 14 | 0.0033% |
| 1911 | #1,645 | 6 | 0.0027% |
| 1910 | #1,730 | 5 | 0.0026% |
| 1900 | #1,112 | 7 | 0.0047% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
