Male name
Kenneth
1,135 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 5.
Origin
Anglicized form of two Goidelic names, Old Irish Cináed, the name of Scottish kings derived from Pictish *ᚉᚔᚅᚔᚑᚇ (Ciniod), and the saint's name Cainnech (literally “handsome”) (modern Scottish Gaelic Coinneach), as in the surname Mackenzie.From Wiktionary, entry “Kenneth”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 69 births. 1,135 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. It is still given: 134 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1957: 28,145 births. 1,289,312 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1930s to the 1970s. At its peak, it ranked 13th among boys' names in 1939. It is still given: 6,344 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1974: 346 births. 6,543 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. At its peak, it ranked 26th among boys' names in 1972. It is still given: 11 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 715 | 1900–2025 | — |
| Switzerland | 494* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Quebec | 242 | 1980–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
5
freedom, change, movement
2 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 2 + 8 = 32 → 5
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
1
initiative, independence, beginnings
5 + 5 = 10 → 1
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
22
the large-scale builder (master number)
2 + 5 + 5 + 2 + 8 = 22
- Digits missing from the name
- 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9
- Most frequent digit
- 5 · freedom, change, movement
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.