Fenway
From English, a surname derived from the word "fen", meaning marshy land.
Name Census estimates that about 58 living Americans carry the first name Fenway. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fenway today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fenway births was 2013 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fenway. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fenway. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
58
~ 1 in 5,909,558 Americans
Peak year
2013
8 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,730
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Fenway: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fenway from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 41 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fenway by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fenway during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fenway
The given name Fenway is a relatively modern invention, believed to have originated in the early 20th century in the United States. Its origins are closely tied to the iconic Fenway Park, the historic baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, which opened in 1912.
The name Fenway is likely a direct reference to the famous ballpark, reflecting a fondness for baseball and the cultural significance of the venue. The word "fenway" itself is derived from the Old English term "fen," meaning a low, marshy area, and the word "way," referring to a path or road. This etymology suggests that the name Fenway may have initially referred to a path or road running through a marshy area near the site of the present-day stadium.
While there are no known historical references to the name Fenway in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its association with the beloved baseball park has given it a unique place in American culture. The earliest recorded use of Fenway as a given name is believed to have occurred in the early decades of the 20th century, as the popularity of baseball and the fame of Fenway Park grew.
Notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Fenway include:
1. Fenway Croxon (1908-1992), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1930s.
2. Fenway Burkhart (1915-2001), an American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry.
3. Fenway Miller (1920-2008), an American writer and journalist known for his coverage of baseball and the Boston Red Sox.
4. Fenway Kincaid (1926-2014), an American artist and sculptor, best known for his bronze statues of baseball players.
5. Fenway Saunders (1932-2018), an American politician who served as the mayor of Boston from 1970 to 1978.
While the name Fenway may have started as a nod to the iconic baseball stadium, it has since taken on a life of its own, representing a connection to American sports culture and a love for the game of baseball.
People
Fenway + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fenway as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fenway: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fenway?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 58 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fenway going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,909,558 US residents.
Is Fenway a common name?
We classify Fenway as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 58 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fenway most popular?
The single biggest year for Fenway was 2013, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fenway is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Fenway in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fenway a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fenway in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Fenway still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fenway in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Fenway can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Fenway?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.