Kenny is a
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 ...
, a
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 ...
, and a diminutive of several different given names.
In
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, the surname 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 the
Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". It was once popular in the 16th-century in
Leinster,
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
, parts of
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
and in
County Tyrone in
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
, and was Anglicised as O'Kenna, O'Kenny, O'Kinney, Kenna, Kenney, Kenny, and Kinney amongst other variations.
One bearer of the name was
Cainnech of Aghaboe, better known in English as Saint Canice - a sixth-century Irish priest and missionary from near
Dungiven, after whom the city and county of
Kilkenny is also named. The Irish form ''Cill Chainnigh'' means "Church of Canice".
It is thought that the ''Ó Cionnaith'' sept was part of the
Uí Maine kingdom, based in
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
. Within this area, the name is associated traditionally with counties
Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
and
Roscommon
Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...
.
Kenny is ranked at number 76 in the list of the most common surnames in Ireland.
Other spellings include O'Kenny, Kenney, Kennie, Kinnie and Kinny.
The given name, Kenny, is most often used as a short form of the name
Kenneth
Kenneth is a given name of Gaelic origin. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byna ...
and a diminutive form of
Ken.
Given name
*
Cainnech of Aghaboe (515/516–600), also known as Saint Kenny, Irish saint, abbot, monastic founder, priest and missionary
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Kenny Adeleke (born 1983), Nigerian basketball player
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Kenny Anderson (basketball) (born 1970), retired basketball player
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Kenny Athiu, association footballer
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Kenny Baker (English actor) (1934–2016), English actor, best known to portray
R2-D2 in the
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
franchise.
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Kenny Ball (1930–2013), English jazz musician
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Kenny Bee (born 1953), Hong Kong singer, musician and actor
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Kenny Bell (born 1992), American football player
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Kenny Bernstein (born 1944), NHRA driver
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Kenny Black (born 1963), Scottish footballer
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Kenny Booker, American basketball player
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Kenny Bräck
Per Cenny "Kenny" Bräck (born 21 March 1966) is a Swedish former race car driver. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in the Champ Car, CART, Indy Racing League and the IROC series. He won the 1998 Indy Racing League championship and t ...
(born 1966), former Swedish IndyCar driver
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Kenny Chesney (born 1968), American country music singer, songwriter and record producer
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Kenny Chiu (born 1965), Canadian politician
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Kenny Clarke (1914–1985), American jazz drummer and bandleader
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Kenny Dalglish, Scottish soccer player and manager
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Kenny Delmar (1910–1984), American actor and voice artist
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Kenny Dillingham (born 1990), American football coach
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Kenny Dykstra, American professional wrestler
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Kenny Dyson (born 2001), American football player
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Kenny Easley, American football player
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Kenny Easterday (1973–2016), American man with sacral agenesis, known as "Man with half a body"
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Kenny Edwards (rugby league) (born 1989), New Zealand Rugby League player
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Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English radio Disc Jockey, DJ and television entertainer, known for his zany comedic style. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the m ...
(1944–1995), English disc-jockey and comedian
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Kenny Fields (born 1962), American basketball player
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Kenny Golladay (born 1993), American football player
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Kenny G (born 1956), American saxophonist
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Kenny Håkansson, Swedish musician
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Kenny Heitz (1947–2012), American basketball player
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Kenny Hotz, Canadian filmmaker and star of ''Kenny vs. Spenny''
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Kenny Hughes, actor, dancer, director and writer
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Kenny Irwin Jr., former NASCAR driver
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Kenny Jackett, English football player and manager
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Kenny W. James, American voice actor
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Kenny Kadji (born 1988), Cameroonian basketball player in the
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...
*
Kenny Koplove, American baseball player
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Kenny Lawler (born 1994), American football player
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Kenny Layne (born 1981), American professional wrestler known also by ring-name Kenny King
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Kenny Lofton, baseball outfielder
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Kenny Loggins (born 1948), American singer and songwriter
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Kenny Lowe, English football manager
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Kenny Mayne, American sports journalist
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Kenny McIntosh (born 2000), American football player
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Kenny Middlemiss (born 1964), Scottish badminton player
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Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer
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Kenny Moore, American athlete
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Kenny Moore II, American football player
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Kenny O'Dell (1944–2018), American country music singer and songwriter
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Kenny Okoro, American football player
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Kenny Omega (born 1982), ring name of Canadian-born professional wrestler Tyson Smith
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Kenny Ortega (born 1950), film director and producer
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Kenny Perry
James Kenneth Perry (born August 10, 1960) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He won 14 PGA Tour events and has won nine PGA Tour Champions events including four senior major championships: the 2 ...
, American professional golfer
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Kenny Pickett (born 1998), American football player
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Kenny Price (1931–1987), American country music singer-songwriter
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Kenny Roberts, former motorcycle racer
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Kenny Robinson, multiple people
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Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...
(1938–2020), American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer
*
Kenny Rogers (baseball) (born 1964), American baseball player
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Kenny Rosenberg (born 1995), American baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels
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Kenny Saief (born 1993), American-Israeli (of
Druze
The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...
family) professional soccer player
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Kenny Sebastian (born 1990), Indian comedian
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Kenny Stucker (born 1970), American football player
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Kenny Taylor (basketball), (born 1992) basketball player for the Akita Northern Happinets of Japan
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Kenny Tran, a professional Vietnamese American poker player
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Kenny Vaccaro (born 1991), American football player
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Kenny Wallace (born 1974), American NASCAR driver
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Kenny Washington (basketball), American basketball player and coach
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Kenny Willekes (born 1997), American football player
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Kenny Wooten (born 1998), American basketball player
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Kenny Yeboah (born 1998), American football player
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Kenny Young (American football) (born 1994), American football player
Surname
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Anthony Kenny (born 1931), English philosopher
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Arturo Kenny (born 1888), Argentine polo player
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Bernard Kenny (born 1946), American politician
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Bill Kenny (Australian footballer) (1897–1978), Australian rules footballer
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Bill Kenny (English footballer), played at least one season in the American Soccer League
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Bill Kenny (singer) (1914–1978), African-American singer with The Ink Spots
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Brett Kenny, Australian rugby league footballer
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Brian Kenny (disambiguation)
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Carlos Kenny (born 1950), Argentine field hockey player
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Charles Kenny (1898–1992), American composer and lyricist
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Charles Kenny (cricketer) (1929–96), English
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Clare Kenny
Clare Kenny (born 11 January 1976, in Manchester) is a British-Swiss artist, best known for her use of building materials, neon lights, and photography in her contemporary art exhibitions and art installations. Based in Basel, she is a graduate ...
(born 1976), British-Swiss artist
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David Kenny (disambiguation)
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Enda Kenny (born 1951), Irish politician, leader of Fine Gael and Taoiseach
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Enda Kenny (singer), Irish-born Australian folksinger and songwriter
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Elizabeth Kenny (1880–1952), unaccredited Australian nurse whose controversial treatment of polio victims became the foundation of physical therapy
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Eoghan Kenny, Irish politician
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Gerard Kenny, British-based American composer, pianist and singer
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Henry Kenny (1913–1975), Irish politician and Gaelic footballer
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Henry Kenny (Australian politician) (1853–1899)
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Henry Edward Kenny (1888–1979), British soldier awarded the Victoria Cross
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J. E. Kenny, Irish politician
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James Kenny (photographer), British photographer
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James C. Kenny, former US ambassador to Ireland
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Jason Kenny (born 1988), English cyclist
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Jon Kenny, Irish comedian and actor
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Julie Kenny (1957–2025), English businesswoman
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Laura Kenny (born 1992), British track and road cyclist
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Lawrence Kenny, Catholic priest and exorcist
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Marc Kenny, former Irish footballer
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Matthew Joseph Kenny, Irish politician from Clare
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Maurice Kenny (1929–2016), Mohawk poet
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Mecury Kenny (born 1979), Zimbabwean cricketer
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Michael Kenny (disambiguation), includes some Michaels better known as Mick or Mike
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Mick Kenny (Kilkenny hurler) (1925–2003)
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Mike Kenny (writer), British playwright
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Nick Kenny (poet) (1895–1975), US columnist, lyricist & poet
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Nick Kenny (rugby league), Australian rugby league player
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Paddy Kenny, British-born Irish footballer
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Paddy Kenny (hurler), Irish hurler
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Pat Kenny (born 1948), Irish broadcaster
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Seán Kenny (politician) (born 1942), Irish Labour Party politician
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Sean Kenny (theatre designer), Irish film, theatre and exhibition designer
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Seán Kenny (hurler), Irish hurler
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Stephen Kenny (footballer), Irish football manager
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Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
(born 1962), American voice actor and comedian best known as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants
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Tom Kenny (hurler), Irish hurler
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William Kenny (disambiguation)
Fictional characters
*
Kenny McCormick, a character from the TV series ''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
''
*
Kenny (''Beyblade''), in the anime and manga series ''Beyblade''
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Kenny (''Tomorrow People''), in the 1970s science fiction series ''The Tomorrow People''
* Kenny Ackerman, a character from ''
Attack on Titan
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...
''
*
Kenny Chang, in the British web series ''
Corner Shop Show''.
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Kenny Powers (character), the protagonist of the HBO series ''Eastbound and Down''
* Kenny Rossmore, a character in the 2013 American crime comedy movie ''
We're the Millers''
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Kenny Smyth, a corporate bathroom plumber in the 2006 film ''Kenny''
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Kenny Wangler, an African-American drug addict in the HBO drama ''Oz''
* Kenny, in the movie ''
Let Me In''
* Kenny, in the episodic video game series ''
The Walking Dead: Season One''
* Kenny the Shark, from ''
Kenny the Shark''
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Kenny (Kouji), from ''
Stitch!''
See also
*
Ken (given name)
*
Kenney (disambiguation)
*
Kinney (disambiguation)
*
List of Irish-language given names
This list of Irish-language given names shows Irish language given names, their Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicisations and/or English language equivalents.
Not all Irish given names have English equivalents, though most names have an angl ...
References
* Genealogies of Kenny and Lysaght by Cecil Stacpoole Kenny 1915, NLI, Dublin, Ireland
{{given name, type=both
English masculine given names
English-language surnames
Masculine given names
Hypocorisms
Surnames of Irish origin
Anglicised Irish-language surnames