Kenneth

Scottish and Irish
"born of fire, handsome"

Kenneth Origin and Meaning

The name Kenneth is a boy's name meaning "born of fire, handsome".

Kenneth may have lost much of its luster now, but Kenneth has had its moments of glory. The first king of Scotland was Kenneth, and Sir Kenneth, a Christian crusader, was the hero of the Sir Walter Scott novel The Talisman.

In this country, Kenneth was a Top 20 name from the 1920s through the 50s. And of course for many girls growing up, Ken was the name of Barbie's eternal boyfriend and ultimate dream date. Most recently, Kenneth Ellen (!) Parcell was the naive, perpetually smiling character on 30 Rock.

There have been a number of musical Kenneth/Kennys--Kenny Chesney, Kenny Rogers, Kenny Loggins, and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmunds.

# 425 on Nameberry

Kenneth Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Kenneth Popularity

Famous People Named Kenneth

  • Kenneth I
    III, Kings of Scotland
  • Kenneth Arnold "Kenny" Chesney
    American country music singer
  • Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers
    American singer,songwriter
  • Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins
    American singer,songwriter
  • Kenneth Charles Branagh
    Northern Irish actor and director
  • Kenneth Charles Williams
    English actor and comedian
  • Kenneth Joseph Arrow
    American economist and Nobel Prize winner
  • Kenneth Duva Burke
    American literary theorist and philosopher
  • Kenneth Grahame
    Scottish children's novelist
  • Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
    American R&B singer and producer
  • Kenneth Wheelock "Kenny" Mayne
    American TV sports journalist
  • Kenneth Cole
    American fashion designer
  • Kenneth Geddes Wilson
    American theoretical physicist and Nobel prize winner
  • Kenneth Winston "Ken" Starr
    American independent counsel
  • Kenneth Newton Walker
    U.S. Air Force general
  • Kenneth More
    British actor
  • (Charles) Kenneth Horne
    English comedian
  • Kenneth Lamont "Kent" Bazemore
    Jr., American basketball player
  • Kenneth Harry Clarke
    English MP
  • Kenneth "Mr. Kenneth" Battelle
    American celebrity hairdresser
  • Kenneth Welsh
    Canadian,American actor
  • Kenneth Peacock Tynan
    English theater critic
  • Kenneth Tigar
    American actor
  • Kenneth Thomson
    2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian business mogul and art collector
  • Kenneth Marlar Taylor
    U.S. Army pilot at Pearl Harbor
  • (Arthur) Kenneth Searight
    English linguist, creator of the Sona language
  • Kenneth Graham Ross
    Australian playwright
  • Kenneth Robinson
    British Minister of Health
  • Kenneth Rexroth
    American poet
  • Kenneth Lee Pike
    American linguist
  • Kenneth David Kaunda
    1st President of Zambia
  • Kenneth Cordele Griffin
    American hedge fund manager
  • Kenneth Nathaniel "Nathan" Bates
    5th child on "Bringing Up Bates"
  • Kenneth Arthur 'Ken' Dodd
    English comedian

Kenneth in Pop Culture

  • Kenneth "Ken" Carson
    fashion doll made by Mattel
  • Kenneth Widmerpool
    character in A Dance to the Music of Time series by Anthony Powell
  • Andromakennethamblesorten "Kenneth" Ellen Parcell
    character on TV's "30 Rock"
  • Kenneth Monnitoff
    character in movie "Donnie Darko"
  • Kenneth Waters
    character in movie "Conviction"
  • Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick
    character on TV's South Park
  • Kenneth 'Ken' McLaughlin
    character in Mary O'Hara's "My Friend Flicka"
  • Kenneth Ford
    character in "Anne of Ingleside" by L.M. Montgomery
  • Kenneth Dilaurentis
    Alison Dilaurentis' father on TV's "Pretty Little Liars"