Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2004

Kendal

Meaning valley of the river Kent Gender Unisex · 66% girls Rank 2025 #3,276 Trend ↓ Falling 42%

From Old English Cent + dæl = "valley of the river Kent".

Rank 2025
#3,276
among girls · ↑334 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
60
named Kendal · -18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 33,485
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2004
657 babies
All-time total
13,800
#1,779 all-time among girls
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Kendal popularity over time

13,800 babies have been named Kendal since 1915, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – 5 5 1 – –
1920s – 18 18 2 +260% –
1930s – 53 53 5 +194% –
1940s – 124 124 12 +134% –
1950s 68 284 352 35 +184% #3,461
1960s 158 394 552 55 +57% #2,644
1970s 267 449 716 72 +30% #1,947
1980s 906 702 1,608 161 +125% #1,066
1990s 1,926 1,154 3,080 308 +92% #769
2000s 3,415 780 4,195 420 +36% #513
2010s 2,028 545 2,573 257 -39% #786
2020s (to 2025) 355 169 524 87 -66% #2,363

Where Kendal is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 44 0.03 outside top 500
2027 40 0.03 outside top 500
2028 38 0.02 outside top 500
2029 36 0.02 outside top 500
2030 34 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Kendal

Kendal is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,276 in 2025 with 48 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 13,800 American babies have been named Kendal, about 66% girls and 34% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2004, when 657 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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

How old are people named Kendal?

The median living Kendal is about 24 years old; half are between 16 and 34. An estimated 13 thousand people named Kendal are alive in the United States today.

median 24 020406080100

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

Kendal 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 48 #3,276 12 #7,010
2024 43 #3,610 30 #3,743
2023 55 #3,035 27 #4,069
2022 66 #2,651 35 #3,382
2021 68 #2,576 26 #4,074
2020 75 #2,363 39 #3,003
2019 90 #2,100 37 #3,168
2018 99 #1,991 28 #3,837
2017 86 #2,209 37 #3,163
2016 142 #1,569 41 #2,912
2015 194 #1,262 49 #2,549
2014 225 #1,126 51 #2,477
2013 234 #1,065 55 #2,318
2012 313 #854 75 #1,917
2011 346 #786 75 #1,881
2010 299 #887 97 #1,620
2009 361 #783 53 #2,424
2008 352 #815 59 #2,251
2007 298 #912 74 #1,921
2006 333 #819 81 #1,733
2005 417 #666 75 #1,764
2004 565 #513 92 #1,479
2003 373 #704 70 #1,743
2002 295 #795 96 #1,375
2001 211 #1,017 85 #1,456
2000 210 #1,009 95 #1,348
1995 232 #844 121 #1,011
1990 117 #1,359 135 #888
1985 93 #1,388 69 #1,119
1980 37 #2,561 50 #1,333
1975 16 #4,025 40 #1,391
1970 35 #2,254 49 #1,187
1965 22 #2,644 31 #1,394
1960 16 #3,151 38 #1,280
1955 5 #6,276 25 #1,558
1950 – – 19 #1,726
1945 – – 16 #1,735
1940 – – 9 #2,581
1935 – – – –
1930 – – 8 #3,160
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – 5 #4,117
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kendal?

The median living Kendal is about 24 years old. Half of all living Kendals are between 16 and 34 years old.

How many people named Kendal are alive today?

An estimated 13 thousand people named Kendal are alive in the United States, based on 13,800 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kendal mean?

From Old English Cent + dæl = "valley of the river Kent".

How popular is the name Kendal in 2025?

Kendal ranked #3,276 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 48 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kendal?

13,800 babies have been named Kendal in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kendal most popular?

Kendal peaked in 2004, when 657 newborns received the name.

Is Kendal a boy or girl name?

Kendal is used for both: about 66% of babies named Kendal have been girls and 34% boys.

Is the name Kendal rising or falling?

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

Will Kendal become more popular?

Kendal is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 34 girls named Kendal in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Kendal

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

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