Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1960

Ken

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Kenneth Gender Boy Rank 2025 #3,277 Trend ↓ Falling 32%

A diminutive of the male given name Kenneth.

Rank 2025
#3,277
among boys · ↑31 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
36
named Ken
How common
1 in 47,447
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1960
1,780 babies
All-time total
33,043
#647 all-time among boys
First recorded
1900
in Social Security records

Ken popularity over time

33,043 babies have been named Ken since 1900, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – 7 7 1 – #1,112
1910s – 140 140 14 +1900% #1,318
1920s – 380 380 38 +171% #880
1930s – 1,667 1,667 167 +339% #335
1940s – 4,874 4,874 487 +192% #227
1950s – 7,111 7,111 711 +46% #182
1960s 15 11,898 11,913 1,191 +68% #177
1970s 10 2,243 2,253 225 -81% #369
1980s – 1,231 1,231 123 -45% #718
1990s 5 1,191 1,196 120 -3% #858
2000s – 1,228 1,228 123 +3% #1,055
2010s – 776 776 78 -37% #1,509
2020s (to 2025) – 267 267 45 -43% #2,383

Where Ken is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 34 0.02 outside top 500
2027 32 0.02 outside top 500
2028 31 0.02 outside top 500
2029 30 0.02 outside top 500
2030 29 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Ken

Ken is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,277 in 2025 with 36 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1900, 33,043 American babies have been named Ken. Its peak came in 1960, when 1,780 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ken stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ken?

The median living Ken is about 62 years old; half are between 54 and 67. An estimated 25 thousand people named Ken are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ken year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 36 #3,277
2024 – – 36 #3,308
2023 – – 37 #3,260
2022 – – 50 #2,659
2021 – – 52 #2,542
2020 – – 56 #2,383
2019 – – 51 #2,568
2018 – – 62 #2,219
2017 – – 63 #2,162
2016 – – 90 #1,733
2015 – – 87 #1,760
2014 – – 85 #1,774
2013 – – 75 #1,890
2012 – – 107 #1,509
2011 – – 88 #1,695
2010 – – 68 #2,027
2009 – – 104 #1,570
2008 – – 108 #1,511
2007 – – 120 #1,378
2006 – – 135 #1,244
2005 – – 117 #1,305
2004 – – 153 #1,055
2003 – – 110 #1,288
2002 – – 134 #1,095
2001 – – 124 #1,132
2000 – – 123 #1,134
1995 – – 126 #992
1990 5 #14,062 142 #858
1985 – – 113 #850
1980 – – 141 #739
1975 5 #9,750 156 #660
1970 5 #8,622 486 #369
1965 – – 1,100 #218
1960 5 #6,820 1,775 #177
1955 – – 439 #345
1950 – – 347 #362
1945 – – 479 #272
1940 – – 303 #327
1935 – – 167 #440
1930 – – 76 #728
1925 – – 39 #1,134
1920 – – 32 #1,292
1915 – – 20 #1,581
1910 – – 5 #1,730
1905 – – – –
1900 – – 7 #1,112
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ken

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ken Miles Ken Miles British racing driver (1918–1966) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ken Jeong Ken Jeong American comedian, actor, and physician (born 1969) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ken Watanabe Ken Watanabe Japanese actor (born 1959) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ken Jenkins American actor b. 1940 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Ken Follett Ken Follett British bestseller novelist (born 1949) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ken Kesey Ken Kesey American writer and countercultural figure (1935–2001) Contemporary
  7. 7 Ken Norton Ken Norton American boxer (1943–2013) Contemporary
  8. 8 Ken Loach Ken Loach English retired filmmaker (born 1936) Contemporary
  9. 9 Ken Russell Ken Russell British film director (1927–2011) Contemporary
  10. 10 Ken Mattingly Ken Mattingly American astronaut (1936–2023) Contemporary
  11. 11 Ken Thompson Ken Thompson American computer scientist known for Unix (born 1943) Contemporary
  12. 12 Ken Livingstone Ken Livingstone English politician (born 1945) Contemporary
  13. 13 Ken Stott Ken Stott Scottish actor (born 1954) Contemporary
  14. 14 Ken Takakura Ken Takakura Japanese actor (1931–2014) Contemporary
  15. 15 Ken Robinson Ken Robinson British author, speaker, and education reformer (1950–2020) Contemporary
  16. 16 Ken Rosewall Ken Rosewall Australian tennis player (born 1934) Contemporary
  17. 17 Ken Kercheval Ken Kercheval American actor (1935–2019) Contemporary
  18. 18 Ken Wilber Ken Wilber American writer and public speaker (born 1949) Contemporary
  19. 19 Ken Saro-Wiwa Ken Saro-Wiwa Nigerian social rights activist (1941–1995) Contemporary
  20. 20 Ken Hensley Ken Hensley English musician (1945–2020) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ken, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ken?

The median living Ken is about 62 years old. Half of all living Kens are between 54 and 67 years old.

How many people named Ken are alive today?

An estimated 25 thousand people named Ken are alive in the United States, based on 33,043 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ken mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Kenneth.

How popular is the name Ken in 2025?

Ken ranked #3,277 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 36 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ken?

33,043 babies have been named Ken in the United States since 1900, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ken most popular?

Ken peaked in 1960, when 1,780 newborns received the name.

Is Ken a boy or girl name?

Ken is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ken rising or falling?

Ken is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ken become more popular?

Ken is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 29 boys named Ken in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ken?

Well-known people named Ken include Ken Miles (racing driver), Ken Jeong (actor), Ken Watanabe (actor).

Names like Ken

Names that sound and feel close to Ken: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ken with similar names → More names starting with K →