Fun Facts About the Name Kenta
- 716 babies named Kenta: U.S. records list 716 babies given the name Kenta from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Kenta - about 1 girl for every 142 boys.
What Does the Name Kenta Mean?
Kenta is a Japanese masculine given name, usually written 健太. Its first character, 健 (ken), means "healthy," "strong," or "robust." The second, 太 (ta), literally means "thick," "fat," or "big," and in name-final position it works as a suffix suggesting size or vigor rather than describing the person's body. The customary reading of 健太 is therefore "healthy and strong," sometimes rendered as "healthy and stout" or "healthy and great."
Since Japanese names are written in kanji, the meaning belongs to the characters rather than to the sound. Other combinations read Kenta include 賢太 (賢 ken, "wise") and 憲太 (憲 ken, "law, principle"), so an individual Kenta's name can differ in meaning from the conventional 健太 spelling.
Kenta Name History & Origins
Kenta is a two-character Japanese given name. Names of this shape are chosen by parents at a child's birth, and the characters - not merely the sound - carry the meaning, so the same pronunciation can be written in several ways. 健太, with 健 ("healthy") followed by 太, is the most conventional spelling.
The element 健 appears in other Japanese male names that express a wish for good health, such as 健一 Ken'ichi ("healthy first son") and 健二 Kenji ("healthy second son"), where the second character records the son's birth order. Names ending in 太 form a large group in modern Japanese naming and include Yūta, Shōta, and Sōta; Kenta is usually grouped with them. Japanese naming does not draw on a fixed list of saints the way many European names do, so Kenta has no saint's day or scriptural source behind it.
The name is romanized as Kenta under the Hepburn system, with no long vowel, and it is used in this form by Japanese communities outside Japan as well as within the country. It also appears in hiragana or katakana in some contexts, where the writing no longer shows the meaning of the original characters.
How Popular is the Name Kenta?
Kenta 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 1977. Its best rank was #1,302 in 1977.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | #10,505 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,216 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #7,513 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #7,265 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #9,338 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #7,904 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #11,519 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #13,281 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #7,318 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #6,481 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #8,474 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #6,504 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #6,431 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #7,890 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #8,019 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #5,647 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #4,727 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2006 | #4,964 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #6,053 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #6,781 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #4,937 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #4,819 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #4,393 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #4,487 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #3,326 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1998 | #3,554 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #3,310 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1996 | #3,933 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #2,888 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1994 | #2,994 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1993 | #3,930 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #2,642 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1991 | #2,509 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1990 | #4,553 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #3,732 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #2,810 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1987 | #4,424 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #5,668 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #3,154 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #5,991 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #3,758 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #6,034 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #2,967 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1980 | #3,030 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #2,515 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1978 | #2,432 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1977 | #1,302 | 48 | 0.0029% |
| 1973 | #4,299 | 7 | 0.0004% |
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 Kenta 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 find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Kenta's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kenta's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.