Kenon
A masculine name of uncertain origin and meaning, possibly derived from Kenton.
Name Census estimates that about 390 living Americans carry the first name Kenon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kenon today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenon births was 1980 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenon. 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 Kenon with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
390
~ 1 in 878,857 Americans
Peak year
1980
21 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2016 SSA rank
#13,280
Tracked since 1971
Census
Kenon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 410 people with the first name Kenon, which placed it at #23,765 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
#23,765
National first-name rank
People counted
410
410 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
62.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kenon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kenon is Black at 62.2%. The next largest groups are White (25.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Kenon 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 Kenon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.2% · 255
- White25.9% · 106
- Two or more races5.9% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 6
Popularity
Kenon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenon from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 126 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kenon 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 Kenon 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 Kenon
The name Kenon is of uncertain origin, with various theories proposed regarding its linguistic roots and cultural significance. One theory suggests that it may have derived from the Greek word "kenos," meaning "empty" or "void," potentially signifying a philosophical or spiritual connotation.
Another possibility is that Kenon originates from the Hebrew word "kenan," which translates to "smith" or "metalworker," implying a connection to craftsmanship or artisanal professions. Additionally, some scholars have drawn parallels between Kenon and the Biblical figure Kenan, who is mentioned in the genealogies of the Book of Genesis.
In the realm of historical references, the name Kenon appears to have been relatively uncommon, with limited documented instances throughout the ages. One notable mention is found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, where the name is used in a dialogue exploring metaphysical concepts.
The earliest recorded examples of individuals bearing the name Kenon are somewhat sparse. However, a few notable figures can be mentioned:
1. Kenon of Alexandria (circa 3rd century BCE), a renowned Greek mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of conic sections.
2. Kenon the Scribe (circa 1st century CE), a Jewish scholar renowned for his meticulous copying and preservation of ancient Hebrew texts.
3. Kenon the Architect (circa 6th century CE), a Byzantine master builder credited with the design and construction of several iconic churches and cathedrals in Constantinople.
4. Kenon the Bard (circa 11th century), an Irish poet and storyteller whose epic tales and ballads were widely celebrated in medieval Gaelic literature.
5. Kenon the Navigator (circa 15th century), a Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his pioneering voyages to India and is believed to have charted several previously unknown trade routes.
While the name Kenon may not have enjoyed widespread popularity throughout history, its unique and enigmatic origins have contributed to its enduring intrigue and mystique. The individuals who have borne this name, though few in number, have left lasting legacies in diverse fields, from science and literature to architecture and exploration.
People
Kenon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenon 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
Kenon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 390 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenon 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 878,857 US residents.
Is Kenon a common name?
We classify Kenon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 406 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenon most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenon was 1980, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenon is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kenon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 410 people with the name Kenon, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,765 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 Kenon 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 Kenon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kenon leans strongly male. 399 people counted with this name were male (95.9%), compared with 17 female bearers (4.1%). 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 Kenon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kenon is Black at 62.2%. The next largest groups are White (25.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Kenon most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kenon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.2% (255 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 Kenon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kenon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kenon 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 Kenon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kenon 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 Kenon 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 are named Kenon?
Find out how many people share the name Kenon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.