Kendan
Of Basque origin, denoting the heir or successor.
Name Census estimates that about 269 living Americans carry the first name Kendan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kendan today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kendan births was 2006 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kendan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kendan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
269
~ 1 in 1,274,180 Americans
Peak year
2006
26 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,565
Tracked since 1988
Census
Kendan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 268 people with the first name Kendan, which placed it at #31,773 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#31,773
National first-name rank
People counted
268
268 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kendan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kendan is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Two or More Races (10.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kendan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kendan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.7% · 136
- Black or African American26.1% · 70
- Two or more races10.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.0% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Popularity
Kendan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kendan from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 124 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kendan 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 Kendan 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 Kendan
The name Kendan is believed to have originated from the ancient Celtic language and culture. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "ceann" meaning "head" and "dan" meaning "chief" or "leader". This suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals who were considered leaders or chieftains of their clans or tribes.
The earliest known reference to the name Kendan can be found in ancient Celtic folklore and legends, where it was often associated with tales of bravery, wisdom, and strength. However, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time period or geographical region where the name first gained popularity.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kendan was a Celtic warrior and chieftain who lived in the 5th century AD. He is said to have led his clan in numerous battles against invading forces, earning a reputation for his fearless leadership and strategic prowess.
In the 9th century, a Kendan was mentioned in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. This Kendan was noted as a prominent scholar and poet, renowned for his extensive knowledge of Celtic literature and culture.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kendan was associated with several notable figures in various regions of Europe. One such individual was Kendan of Lindisfarne, a monk and scribe who lived in the 7th century. He is credited with creating some of the earliest illuminated manuscripts and religious texts in the Anglo-Saxon tradition.
Another notable figure was Kendan the Wise, a 12th-century philosopher and theologian from the Rhineland region of Germany. His writings and teachings on ethics and morality were highly influential during his time and for centuries to come.
In the 16th century, a Kendan was recorded as a renowned explorer and navigator from the Scottish Highlands. He is said to have led several expeditions to the uncharted waters of the North Atlantic, contributing to the expansion of maritime knowledge and the development of navigation techniques.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Kendan. While the exact origins and meanings of the name may have evolved over time, it has maintained a strong association with leadership, wisdom, and a connection to the rich cultural heritage of the ancient Celts.
People
Kendan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kendan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kendan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kendan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 269 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kendan 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 1,274,180 US residents.
Is Kendan a common name?
We classify Kendan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 272 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kendan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kendan was 2006, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kendan is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kendan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 268 people with the name Kendan, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,773 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kendan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kendan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kendan leans strongly male. 257 people counted with this name were male (96.6%), compared with 9 female bearers (3.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kendan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kendan is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Two or More Races (10.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kendan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kendan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.7% (136 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kendan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kendan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kendan 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 Kendan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kendan 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 Kendan 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.
How many people have Kendan as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Kendan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.