Fun Facts About the Name Kendi
- 668 babies named Kendi: U.S. records list 668 babies given the name Kendi from 1880 through 2025. Even 24 boys received the name Kendi - about 1 boy for every 27 girls.
What Does the Name Kendi Mean?
Kendi has no single securely documented origin as a personal name, so its meaning is uncertain. The Turkish word kendi is a reflexive pronoun meaning "self" or "one's own," and the meaning "self" that is sometimes attached to the name reflects this grammatical word rather than a recorded naming tradition. The same spelling occurs in Malay and Indonesian as kendi, a noun for a spouted water vessel, borrowed from Sanskrit kuṇḍikā; that word is unrelated to the Turkish pronoun. Kendi is also used as a personal name in Kenya, but no well-documented derivation for that use is available.
Kendi Name History & Origins
The Turkish pronoun goes back to an older form, kendü, which appears in Ottoman texts and later became kendi. It functions grammatically rather than as a name, in reflexive and emphatic constructions such as kendim ("myself"), kendin ("yourself"), and kendi kendine ("by oneself, on one's own"). In the Malay-Indonesian region, the vessel called a kendi has a separate history as a spouted container for storing and pouring water, a form that spread with maritime trade and is also known in the southern Philippines. The personal name Kendi used in Kenya is distinct from both of these words. Because the Turkish, Malay-Indonesian, and Kenyan forms belong to different languages and carry different senses, the personal name cannot be traced to any one of them with confidence.
How Popular is the Name Kendi?
Kendi has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2007. Its best rank was #4,126 in 1979.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,785 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #9,873 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #10,738 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #8,790 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #11,648 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #6,780 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2019 | #7,534 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #5,905 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2017 | #8,548 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #13,625 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #9,229 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #10,549 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #6,885 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #12,819 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #8,907 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #8,506 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #9,153 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #6,252 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #4,750 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2006 | #9,004 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #6,139 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2004 | #8,987 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #7,056 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #9,163 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #7,534 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #9,539 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #9,705 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #7,072 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #12,643 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #10,042 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #7,880 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #6,434 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #9,107 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #8,961 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #8,845 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #7,725 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #9,773 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #6,536 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #9,005 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #9,919 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #7,732 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #4,778 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #5,361 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #7,743 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #9,653 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #4,126 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1978 | #4,796 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #6,572 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1976 | #7,670 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #9,752 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #5,156 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #6,238 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #6,936 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #5,220 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #6,253 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #7,275 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #7,034 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #8,660 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #7,882 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #13,131 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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.
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How the Name Kendi Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Kendi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kendi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.