boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Kenai

Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #713 Trend ↑ Rising 171%
Rank 2025
#713
among boys · ↑61 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
383
named Kenai · +15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,531
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
383 babies
All-time total
2,465
#2,955 all-time among boys
First recorded
1992
in Social Security records

Kenai popularity over time

2,465 babies have been named Kenai since 1992, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s – 10 10 1 – #9,158
2000s 20 266 286 29 +2760% #2,225
2010s 22 689 711 71 +149% #1,437
2020s (to 2025) 32 1,426 1,458 243 +242% #713

Where Kenai 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 449 0.26 outside top 500
2027 520 0.30 outside top 500
2028 590 0.35 outside top 500
2029 657 0.38 #468
2030 719 0.42 #439

Where Kenai is most popular

Boys named Kenai per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.148 per 1,000. Strongest in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Alaska.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Kenai born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oklahoma 41 0.464 +212%
Colorado 58 0.449 +203%
Alaska 5 0.420 +183%
Washington 66 0.403 +172%
Oregon 30 0.395 +166%
Utah 35 0.367 +147%
Arizona 48 0.293 +98%
Montana 5 0.284 +91%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +81%
Idaho 10 0.244 +65%
Wisconsin 26 0.219 +48%
Florida 101 0.213 +44%
New Mexico 7 0.212 +43%
North Carolina 52 0.204 +37%
Minnesota 22 0.179 +21%
Georgia 45 0.178 +20%
California 127 0.139 -6%
Texas 104 0.118 -20%
Ohio 28 0.106 -29%
Virginia 20 0.105 -29%
Nevada 6 0.105 -29%
New Jersey 19 0.094 -36%
Missouri 13 0.094 -37%
Connecticut 6 0.089 -40%
New York 37 0.085 -42%
Indiana 13 0.081 -45%
Kansas 5 0.073 -51%
Tennessee 13 0.072 -51%
Pennsylvania 16 0.060 -59%
Illinois 15 0.059 -60%
Massachusetts 8 0.058 -61%
Michigan 11 0.054 -64%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -67%
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kenai

Kenai is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #713 in 2025 with 377 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1992, 2,465 American babies have been named Kenai. Its peak came in 2025, when 383 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Kenai stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kenai?

The median living Kenai is about 4 years old; half are between 1 and 9. An estimated 2,400 people named Kenai are alive in the United States today.

median 4 020406080100

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

Kenai 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 6 #14,074 377 #713
2024 5 #16,493 327 #774
2023 5 #16,406 235 #960
2022 5 #16,533 202 #1,082
2021 5 #16,498 141 #1,322
2020 6 #14,298 144 #1,274
2019 5 #16,799 122 #1,437
2018 – – 93 #1,693
2017 – – 98 #1,627
2016 – – 82 #1,837
2015 6 #15,474 68 #2,079
2014 – – 61 #2,220
2013 5 #17,963 52 #2,414
2012 – – 37 #3,084
2011 6 #15,817 35 #3,211
2010 – – 41 #2,896
2009 – – 37 #3,141
2008 – – 40 #2,982
2007 7 #14,707 42 #2,845
2006 – – 33 #3,277
2005 6 #15,481 42 #2,638
2004 – – 52 #2,225
2003 7 #13,144 9 #7,564
2002 – – – –
2001 – – 11 #6,246
2000 – – – –
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kenai?

The median living Kenai is about 4 years old. Half of all living Kenais are between 1 and 9 years old.

How many people named Kenai are alive today?

An estimated 2,400 people named Kenai are alive in the United States, based on 2,465 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Kenai in 2025?

Kenai ranked #713 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 377 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kenai?

2,465 babies have been named Kenai in the United States since 1992, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kenai most popular?

Kenai peaked in 2025, when 383 newborns received the name.

Is Kenai a boy or girl name?

Kenai is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kenai rising or falling?

Kenai is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kenai become more popular?

Kenai is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 719 boys named Kenai in 2030, which would rank around #439. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Kenai

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

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