Kennedy (also spelled Kenedi, Kennedie, Kennedi) () is a

unisex Unisex is an adjective indicating something is not sex-specific, i.e. is suitable for any type of sex. The term can also mean gender-blindness or gender neutrality. The term 'unisex' was coined in the 1960s and was used fairly informally. The co ...

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

. The name is an

Anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

form of a masculine given name in the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

Etymology

The given name ''Kennedy'' is an

anglicisation Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

of ''Cinnéidigh'', a masculine given name in the

. This Irish name is composed of two elements: the first, "head"; the second, "ugly".. According to Patrick Woulfe, who wrote in the early 19th century, ''Kennedy'' is an anglicised form the Irish ''Cinnéididh'' and ''Cinnéidigh''. Woulfe derived these Irish names from two elements: the first, , meaning "a head"; the second, , meaning "armour"; hence the name can be thought to mean "helmet-headed".

Other languages

As a masculine given name, ''Kennedy'' can be rendered into Irish as ''Cinnéididh'' and ''Cinnéidigh'', and into

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

as ''Kinnedius''., which is a transcription of: . The masculine ''Kennedy'' can be rendered into

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

as ''Uarraig''. This name is

etymologically Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

unrelated to the English ''Kennedy'' and Irish ''Cinnéidigh''. ''Uarraig'' is composed of two

elements: the first, ''uall'', means "pride"; and the second, ''garg'', means "fierce". This Scottish Gaelic name is Anglicised ''Kennedy'' possibly because it was commonly borne by various families who bore the

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * Kennedy (surname), including any of several people with that surname ** Kennedy family, a prominent American political family that includes: *** Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888–1969), American businessman, investor, ...

''. One such family, according tradition dating from the 18th century, descended from a man who bore a form of this name, and settled in

Lochaber Lochaber ( ; ) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a distric ...

in the 16th century.

Popularity and use

The name Kennedy has been in occasional use as a given name for both men and women since the 1800s throughout the

Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

. The name came into greater use during the 1960s in honor of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

, the 35th President of the United States, who was assassinated in 1963, and his brother

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...

, who was assassinated in 1968.. As a name for girls, Kennedy was popularized by the fame of

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

video jockey A video jockey (abbreviated VJ or sometimes veejay) is an announcer or host who introduces music videos and live performances on commercial music television channels such as MTV, VH1, Much (TV channel), MuchMusic and Channel V. Origins The term " ...

Lisa Kennedy Montgomery Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (born September 8, 1972), referred to mononymously as Kennedy, is an American libertarian political commentator, radio personality, author, and former MTV VJ. She is a commentator on Fox News Channel, a primary guest host ...

. Spelling variants such as Kennedi and Kenadee also became popular for girls. In the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, ''Kennedy'', has been among the top 1,000 names recorded in

Social Security card Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

applications, in the last 10 years, for both baby boys and girls. As a masculine name, ''Kennedy'' first appeared amongst the top 1,000 names in 1960, but fell out of the top 1,000 after 1968. The name did not re-enter the top 1,000 until 1994, where it stayed until 2005. At its height, ''Kennedy'' was ranked the 516th most popular masculine baby name in 1964. As a feminine name, ''Kennedy'' first appeared among the top 1,000 names in 1994 and among the 100 most popular names for American girls since 2011.. In 1990, the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

undertook a study of the

1990 United States census The 1990 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 census. Approximatel ...

, and released a sample of data concerning the most popular names. According to this sample of 6.3 million people (who had 5,494 unique first names), ''Kennedy'' did not even appear among the 4,275 feminine names, or the 1,219 masculine names..

Popularity charts

Notable men

* Kennedy (musician) Jack Kennedy, California musician * Kennedy Agyapong (born 1960), Ghanaian politician and businessman *

Ken Anderson (wrestler) Kenneth Anthony Anderson (born March 6, 1976) is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his tenure in WWE from 2005 to 2009 under the ring name Mr. Kennedy, and his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Mr. Anderson from 2010 ...

(born 1976), known professionally as Mr. Kennedy, American professional wrestler * Kennedy Ashia (born 1993), Ghanaian professional football player *

Kennedy Bakircioglu Kennedy Bakircioglu (born 2 November 1980) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is best remembered for his time with Hammarby IF, with whom he won the 2001 Allsvenskan and 2014 Superettan titles. He also re ...

(born 1980), Swedish former football player * Kennedy Asamoah Boateng (born 1989), Ghanaian professional football player * Kennedy Kofi Boateng (born 1993), Ghanaian professional football player *

Kennedy Brooks Kennedy Brooks (born October 8, 1998) is an American professional football running back. He played college football at Oklahoma. Early life Brooks attended Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Texas. During his high school career he had 7,658 ya ...

(born 1998), American football player *

Kennedy Francis Burns Kennedy Francis Burns (January 8, 1842 – June 23, 1895) was a Canadian businessman and politician of the Liberal party. Biography Born a Roman Catholic in Thomastown, Republic of Ireland, he emigrated to British North America. He worked ...

(1842–1895), Canadian politician and businessman *

Kennedy Chandler Kennedy Collier Chandler (born September 16, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the ...

(born 2002), American basketball player * Kennedy Chihuri (born 1969), Zimbabwean former football player * Reuben Asberry Jr., professionally known as

Kennedy Davenport Reuben Asberry Jr. (born September 9, 1980), known professionally as Kennedy Davenport, is a drag queen, television personality, and dancer from Dallas, Texas, who came to international attention on the seventh season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', ...

, American drag queen * Kennedy Edwin (born 1976), Malaysian musician * Kennedy Eriba (born 1990), Nigerian professional football player * Kennedy William Gordy (born 1964), professionally known as Rockwell, American former singer *

Kennedy Graham Kennedy Gollan Montrose Graham (born 1946) is a New Zealand politician, academic and diplomat. Following a career in diplomacy and international relations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand), New Zealand Foreign Servic ...

(born 1946), New Zealand politician * Kennedy Hinkson (born 1986), Trinidad and Tobago professional football player * Kennedy Igboananike (born 1989), Nigerian professional football player * Kennedy Ihenacho (born 1990), Nigerian professional football player * Kennedy Izuka, American soccer player *

Kennedy Jones (journalist) William Kennedy Jones (4 May 1865 – 20 October 1921) was a British journalist, editor, businessman, newspaper manager and Member of Parliament. Early years Born in Glasgow, "K.J." (as he was known to his friends) was educated at a local hi ...

(1865–1921), British journalist *

Kennedy Jones (musician) Kennedy Jones or Jonesey (1 August 1900 – 6 September 1990) was an American guitarist and music writer. He was born on a farm in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He received his inspiration from his mother Alice who played several instrument ...

(1900–1990), American musician * Kennedy Musyoka Kalonzo (born 1987), Kenyan politician and lawyer * Kennedy Kanyanta (born 1979), Zambian professional boxer *

Kennedy Katende Kennedy Katende (born 15 March 1985) is an Ugandan boxer from Kampala who qualified for the 2008 Olympics in the light-heavyweight division. His second place behind Kenneth Egan was good enough, and he benefitted from his compatriot Badou Jac ...

(born 1985), Ugandan-Swedish amateur boxer * Kennedy Kimwetich (born 1973), Kenyan former runner * Kennedy Kithuka (born 1989), Kenyan-American runner * Kennedy Lindsay (1927–1997), British politician *

Kennedy Macdonald Thomas Kennedy Macdonald (6 April 1847 – 17 October 1914), known as Kennedy Macdonald or Kennedy Mac, was a 19th-century Liberal Party Member of Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand. Early life Macdonald was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer in nort ...

(1847–1914), New Zealand politician * Kennedy Malunga (born 1970), Malawian professional football player * Kennedy McArthur (1881–1960), known as

Ken McArthur Kennedy Kane McArthur (10 February 1881 – 13 June 1960) is most noted as a track and field athlete and winner of the marathon at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Biography Born in Dervock, County Antrim, Ireland, McArthur was recognised as a p ...

, Irish track and field athlete *

Kennedy McIntosh Kennedy McIntosh (January 21, 1949 – March 6, 2009 Kennedy McKinney Kennedy McKinney (born January 10, 1966) is an American former professional boxer, who won the bantamweight gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. As a professional, he won the IBF and WBO super bantamweight titles. Military service McKinne ...

(born 1966), American former professional boxer *

Kennedy Meeks Kennedy Rashod Meeks (born February 5, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He played college basketball for North Carolina. He is a native of Cha ...

(born 1995), American professional basketball player *

Kennedy Moretti Kennedy Moretti (born 1966) is a Brazilian pianist and music professor. Biography Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Kennedy Moretti studied piano at the São Paulo University and later at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest, Hungary) and in V ...

(born 1966), Brazilian pianist * Kennedy Mudenda (born 1988), Zambian professional football player *

Kennedy Mweene Kennedy Mweene (born 11 December 1984) is a retired Zambian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. On club level he spent most of his career in South African Premier Soccer League clubs Free State Stars and Mamelodi Sundowns. For t ...

(born 1984), Zambian professional football player * Kennedy Nagoli (born 1973), Zimbabwean former professional football player *

Kennedy Njiru Kennedy Muriithi Njiru (1987 7 January 2020), also known as Kenneth Njiru or Kennedy Njiri, was a Kenyan steeplechase and long-distance runner. With a 3000 metres steeplechase personal best of 8:18.48, he finished third place twice at the Kenyan ...

(1987-2020), Kenyan steeplechase runner * Kennedy Nketani (born 1984), Zambian professional football player * Kennedy Nkeyasen (born 1976), Ghanaian former professional soccer player * Kennedy Ugoala Nwanganga (born 1990), Nigerian professional football player * Kennedy Osei Nyarko (born 1979), Ghanaian politician *

Kennedy Ochieng Kennedy Ochieng (born 31 December 1971) is a retired Kenyan sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres. He was the flagbearer for Kenya at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Aust ...

(born 1971), Kenyan former sprinter *

Kennedy Odede Kennedy Odede is a Kenyan social entrepreneur and author. Odede is the co-founder and CEO of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), a movement based in Nairobi, Kenya, and New York, USA. Odede was awarded the 2010 Echoing Green Fellowship and ...

, Kenyan entrepreneur *

Kennedy Mong'are Okong'o Kennedy Mong'are Okong'o (born 1 March 1969) is the first and immediate former Senator of Nyamira County Nyamira County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya. Formally a district, Nyamira was hived off Kisii District in 1989 ...

(born 1969), Kenyan politician * Kennedy Okonkwo (born 1977), Nigerian businessman * Kennedy Omogi (born 1983) * Kennedy Ondiek (1966–2011), Kenyan runner * Kennedy J. P. Orton (1872–1930), British chemist * Kennedy Osei (born 1966), Ghanaian former runner * Kennedy Otieno (born 1972), Kenyan former professional cricketer * Kennedy Polamalu (born 1963), American football coach and former college football player *

Kennedy J. Reed Kennedy J. Reed (May 24, 1944 – June 20, 2023) was an American theoretical atomic physicist in the Theory Group in the Physics & Advanced Technologies Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and a founder of the National ...

, American physicist *

Kennedy Russell Kennedy Russell (15 September 1883 – 1 March 1954) was a British composer of film scores. He was employed by British National Films during the Second World War, and died aged 70 in 1954.McFarlane p.181 Filmography * '' Jimmy Boy'' (1935) * '' ...

(1883–1954), British composer *

Kennedy Simmonds Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, KCMG (born 12 April 1936), is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician who served as the first prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1983 to 1995. Life and career Simmonds was born in Basseterre on 12 Ap ...

(born 1936), Saint Kitts and Nevis politician *

Kennedy St-Pierre Joseph Kennedy St-Pierre (born 23 October 1992) is a Mauritian boxer who represented Mauritius at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he competed in the men's heavyweight competition. He is a two time African Games gold medalist ( ...

(born 1992), Mauritian professional boxer *

Kennedy Stewart (Canadian politician) Edward Charles Kennedy Stewart (born November 8, 1966) is a Canadian academic administrator and politician who served as the 40th mayor of Vancouver from 2018 to 2022. He previously was the member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Burnaby� ...

(born 1966), Canadian politician * Kennedy Stewart (Irish politician) (1882–1964), Irish politician *

Kennedy Swaratsingh Kennedy Swaratsingh is a Trinidad and Tobago politician representing the United National Congress (UNC). Career Swaratsingh was previously a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the People's National Movement (PNM) and wa ...

, Trinidad and Tobago politician *

Kennedy Thomson Kennedy Thomson (4 April 1936 – 22 May 1996) was a Scottish broadcaster and actor, best known for his work at Grampian Television. Born in Glasgow on 4 April 1936, he studied drama at Jordanhill College and Glasgow University and gained a dipl ...

(1936–1996), British television presenter *

Kennedy Trevaskis Sir Gerald Kennedy Nicholas Trevaskis, (1 January 1915 – 14 March 1990) was a British colonial official and army officer. He served as High Commissioner of Aden from 1963 to 1965.Anthony d'Avray, 'Trevaskis, Sir (Gerald) Kennedy Nicholas (1915 ...

(1915–1990), British colonial official and army officer *

Kennedy Tsimba Kennedy Chiedza Tsimba (Zimbabwean pronunciation: Shining Light; born 23 July 1974) is a 2012 World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee, South African professional Rugby coach. Tsimba made his professional debut playing at the inaugural Rugby World Cup ...

(born 1974), South African professional rugby coach and former player * Kennedy Urlacher (born 2005), American football player * Kennedy Venkersammy (born 1951), Guyanese former professional cricketer * Kennedy John Victor (born 1966), professionally known as Vikram, Indian actor * Kennedy Winston (born 1984), American professional basketball player * Kennedy Wong (born 1963), Hong Kong solicitor

Notable women

Kennedy Baker Kennedy Baker (born May 10, 1996) is a retired American collegiate and artistic gymnast. She competed as an elite gymnast from 2009 through 2013 and has since retired. She had competed in collegiate gymnastics for the Florida Gators. Career ...

(born 1996), American collegiate and artistic gymnast *

Kennedy Burke Kennedy Valentine Burke (born February 14, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Dallas Wings in the 2019 WNBA draft, and has pl ...

(born 1997), American professional basketball player * Kennedy Blades (born 2003), American wrestler *

Kennedy Cherrington Kennedy Cherrington (born 5 January 1999) is an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer who plays as a for Parramatta Eels in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NSWRL Women's Premiership. She pr ...

(born 1999), Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer *

Kennedy Faulknor Kennedy Jade Faulknor (born June 30, 1999) is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Vancouver Rise FC in the Northern Super League. In 2015, she represented the Canadian national team, where, at the age of 16, she was the you ...

(born 1999), Canadian soccer player *

Kennedy Fuller Kennedy Linh Fuller (born March 9, 2007) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She was named the national Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023. She signe ...

(born 2007), American professional soccer player * Kennedy Fraser (born 1948), American writer * Kennedy Goss (born 1996), Canadian competitive swimmer * Kennedy Holmes, American singer *

Kennedy S Johnson The Zosimli Naa is a royal title in Ghana. It directly translates as Chief of Zosimli. The title, Naa translates as King or Chief while Zosimli means: Cooperation, Alliance, Accord, Collaboration and Friendships. The Tamale-Louisville sister city re ...

, Ghanaian politician * Kennedy Lewis (born 1991), American professional wrestling referee and professional wrestler * Kennedy Marchment (born 1996), Canadian professional ice hockey player * Kennedy McMann (born 1996), American actress *Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (born 1972), known mononymously as

, American political commentator * Kennedy Noble (born 2004), American swimmer *

Kennedy Ryan Kennedy Ryan is an American romance novelist recognized for her contemporary romance novels highlighting social issues and diverse characters. She is the first Black winner of a RITA Award for romantic fiction and is an activist and founder of a ...

, American romance novelist * Kennedy Simon (born 1996), New Zealand rugby union player * Kennedy Simon (sprinter) (born 2000), American athlete * Kennedy Summers (born 1987), American model and actress *Kennedy Ashlyn Wenning, American musician under the alias

SRSQ SRSQ (pronounced "seer-skew") is the solo musical project of American singer and keyboardist Kennedy Ashlyn. Ashlyn started making music under the name Them Are Us Too in high school, later expanding the group to a duo after meeting Cash Askew ...

* Kennedy Wesley (born 2001), American soccer player * Kennedy Yanko (born 1988), American sculptor, painter and installation artist