Fun Facts About the Name Kensley
- More than 9 thousand babies named Kensley: U.S. records list 9,284 babies given the name Kensley from 1880 through 2025. Even 336 boys received the name Kensley - about 1 boy for every 27 girls.
What Does the Name Kensley Mean?
Kensley is an English given name, most often treated as a spelling variant of Kinsley. The surname Kinsley is habitational, from the village of Kinsley in West Yorkshire. The probable Old English etymology of that place name is the personal name Cynesige - from cyne- (royal) and sige (victory) - combined with lēah (wood, clearing, meadow). In that reading, the literal meaning is Cynesige's clearing.
A widespread popular explanation gives Kensley the meaning king's meadow or royal meadow. Those senses fit the separate name Kingsley, from Old English cyninges lēah, the king's wood or the king's clearing. Because Kinsley and Kingsley look and sound alike, the king's meadow meaning is often attached to Kensley; it is best understood as a customary reinterpretation rather than the literal etymology of Kensley.
Kensley Name History & Origins
Kensley is a modern given name that comes from the English surname Kinsley. That surname is habitational: it points to Kinsley, a village in West Yorkshire. The village is recorded in Domesday Book (1086) as Kineslage, an early form of the same name. The surname developed later, during the medieval centuries when English family names became hereditary.
The Kensley spelling is a later variant of Kinsley that changes the first vowel from i to e; the second element, -ley, remains the familiar place-name ending from Old English lēah. As a first name, Kensley is a transferred surname, with the Ken- spelling appearing in modern given-name use. Its history as a personal name is recent and distinct from the medieval history of the Yorkshire place name and surname.
How Popular is the Name Kensley?
Kensley recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2018. Its best rank was #424 in 2018.
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 | #742 | 367 | 0.0228% |
| 2024 | #741 | 378 | 0.0234% |
| 2023 | #754 | 374 | 0.0233% |
| 2022 | #614 | 485 | 0.0296% |
| 2021 | #563 | 544 | 0.0332% |
| 2020 | #454 | 680 | 0.0421% |
| 2019 | #477 | 656 | 0.0391% |
| 2018 | #424 | 738 | 0.0434% |
| 2017 | #480 | 648 | 0.0375% |
| 2016 | #523 | 595 | 0.0336% |
| 2015 | #639 | 446 | 0.0250% |
| 2014 | #606 | 480 | 0.0269% |
| 2013 | #636 | 443 | 0.0253% |
| 2012 | #729 | 380 | 0.0216% |
| 2011 | #830 | 319 | 0.0181% |
| 2010 | #1,043 | 240 | 0.0135% |
| 2009 | #1,316 | 184 | 0.0100% |
| 2008 | #1,383 | 173 | 0.0091% |
| 2007 | #1,685 | 131 | 0.0068% |
| 2006 | #2,336 | 81 | 0.0043% |
| 2005 | #2,592 | 66 | 0.0036% |
| 2004 | #2,318 | 75 | 0.0041% |
| 2003 | #2,454 | 67 | 0.0037% |
| 2002 | #2,342 | 69 | 0.0038% |
| 2001 | #2,860 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 2000 | #3,304 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1999 | #3,672 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1998 | #3,261 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 1997 | #3,268 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 1996 | #3,887 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1995 | #5,320 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1994 | #5,858 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1993 | #6,838 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #7,777 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #6,423 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #9,701 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #9,172 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #11,043 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #8,356 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,729 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #5,147 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #6,357 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #5,749 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #7,885 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #5,850 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #6,612 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #7,389 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #6,199 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #6,945 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #9,187 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #6,159 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #5,538 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #6,503 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #6,819 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #5,617 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #6,288 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #5,377 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #11,706 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #7,744 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #10,830 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #8,562 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #11,890 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #10,089 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #7,233 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #6,967 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #8,494 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,633 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #7,391 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #8,847 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #7,457 | 6 | 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 Kensley 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 always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Kensley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kensley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.