Kennon
Of possible Irish origin, meaning "son of wisdom" or "beautiful birthright".
Name Census estimates that about 1,538 living Americans carry the first name Kennon. It is a predominantly male name (98.3% of registrations). The average person named Kennon today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kennon births was 1991 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kennon. 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.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 222,857 Americans
Peak year
1991
35 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,765
Tracked since 1917
Census
Kennon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,422 people with the first name Kennon, which placed it at #9,680 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
#9,680
National first-name rank
People counted
1.4K
1,422 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kennon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kennon is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Kennon 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 Kennon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.1% · 926
- Black or African American24.1% · 342
- Two or more races4.9% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 19
Gender
Gender distribution for Kennon
Kennon leans heavily male at 98.3% of total registrations, but 30 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kennon as a male name
- Ranked #5,765 in 2024
- 16 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2004 (33 births)
Kennon as a female name
- Ranked #17,844 in 2015
- 5 female births in 2015
- Peak: 1979 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kennon leans strongly male. 1,285 people counted with this name were male (90.6%), compared with 133 female bearers (9.4%).
Popularity
Kennon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kennon from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 245 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Kennon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kennon 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 Kennon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kennons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, Louisiana, Alabama recorded the most babies named Kennon, while Georgia, California, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kennon
The name Kennon is believed to have originated from the Gaelic language, which is a branch of the Celtic language family spoken in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. It is thought to have derived from the Gaelic word "ceann," meaning "head" or "chief," suggesting that the name may have been given to individuals who held positions of leadership or authority.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kennon can be traced back to the early medieval period in Ireland and Scotland, where it was commonly used as a personal name among the Celtic population. It was often spelled in various ways, such as Kennan, Kennen, or Kinnon, reflecting the diverse dialects and regional variations of the Gaelic language.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Kennon was Kennon mac Cennfhaelaidh, an Irish nobleman who lived in the 7th century AD. He was a member of the powerful Ui Neill dynasty and served as the King of Tara, one of the ancient capitals of Ireland.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kennon was Kennan na Deisi, a 9th-century Irish king who ruled over the territory of Deise in present-day County Waterford, Ireland. He was known for his military prowess and his efforts to defend his kingdom against Viking raids.
In the 12th century, a Scottish nobleman named Kennon of Galloway played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He was a staunch supporter of Robert the Bruce and fought alongside him in several battles against the English forces.
Moving forward in history, one of the most famous individuals with the name Kennon was Kennon Roberson (1919-1989), an American professional baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940s. He was a versatile player known for his defensive skills and was part of the Cardinals' World Series-winning team in 1946.
Another notable person with the name Kennon was Kennon Gilhuys (1950-2018), a Dutch artist and sculptor known for his large-scale installations and public artworks. His works were featured in numerous exhibitions and public spaces across Europe, reflecting his unique artistic vision and creativity.
While the name Kennon has its roots in the Celtic culture, it has been adopted and used in various parts of the world over the centuries, reflecting the diverse cultural influences and migration patterns of people throughout history.
People
Kennon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kennon 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
Kennon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kennon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,538 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kennon 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 222,857 US residents.
Is Kennon a common name?
We classify Kennon as "Rare". It ranks above 92.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,811 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kennon most popular?
The single biggest year for Kennon was 1991, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kennon is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kennon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,422 people with the name Kennon, or 0.47 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,680 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 Kennon 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 Kennon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kennon leans strongly male. 1,285 people counted with this name were male (90.6%), compared with 133 female bearers (9.4%). 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 Kennon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kennon is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Kennon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kennon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.1% (926 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 Kennon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kennon a male name?
Yes, 98.3% of people registered as Kennon 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 Kennon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kennon 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 Kennon 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 the name Kennon?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Kennon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.