girls' name ★ peaked 1987

Kendra

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #849 Trend ↓ Falling 31%

Coined in the latter half of the twentieth century, presumably a blend of Kenneth +‎ Sandra.

Rank 2025
#849
among girls · ↓163 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
320
named Kendra · -23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,023
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1987
3,863 babies
All-time total
98,788
#382 all-time among girls
First recorded
1936
in Social Security records

Kendra popularity over time

98,788 babies have been named Kendra since 1936, 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
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s 33 – 33 3 – #2,355
1940s 523 – 523 52 +1485% #913
1950s 1,568 – 1,568 157 +200% #617
1960s 5,334 – 5,334 533 +240% #305
1970s 15,661 91 15,752 1,575 +195% #137
1980s 24,387 169 24,556 2,456 +56% #77
1990s 23,972 63 24,035 2,404 -2% #117
2000s 14,237 21 14,258 1,426 -41% #187
2010s 10,188 6 10,194 1,019 -29% #189
2020s (to 2025) 2,535 – 2,535 423 -59% #551

Where Kendra 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 300 0.19 outside top 500
2027 284 0.18 outside top 500
2028 271 0.17 outside top 500
2029 261 0.16 outside top 500
2030 252 0.16 outside top 500

Where Kendra is most popular

Girls named Kendra per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.246 per 1,000. Strongest in Indiana, Texas, and Arizona.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Kendra 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Indiana 70 0.499 +103%
Texas 393 0.489 +99%
Arizona 61 0.435 +77%
South Dakota 6 0.420 +71%
Kentucky 35 0.409 +66%
Ohio 83 0.350 +42%
Colorado 35 0.314 +27%
California 258 0.307 +25%
Minnesota 33 0.306 +24%
New Jersey 55 0.305 +24%
Pennsylvania 72 0.305 +24%
Wisconsin 31 0.301 +22%
Utah 25 0.300 +22%
Washington 43 0.298 +21%
Virginia 47 0.276 +12%
Oklahoma 20 0.272 +10%
Tennessee 40 0.252 ≈ national
Massachusetts 30 0.248 ≈ national
New Mexico 6 0.247 ≈ national
Maryland 26 0.245 ≈ national
Michigan 40 0.220 -11%
North Carolina 49 0.215 -13%
Arkansas 11 0.208 -15%
New York 82 0.207 -16%
Georgia 45 0.198 -19%
Missouri 23 0.191 -22%
Florida 77 0.180 -27%
Illinois 38 0.166 -33%
Idaho 5 0.149 -39%
Kansas 8 0.139 -44%
Iowa 7 0.120 -51%
Mississippi 5 0.107 -57%
Alabama 10 0.107 -57%
Louisiana 6 0.069 -72%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
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 Kendra

Kendra is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #849 in 2025 with 320 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1936, 98,788 American babies have been named Kendra. Its peak came in 1987, when 3,863 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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

How old are people named Kendra?

The median living Kendra is about 35 years old; half are between 24 and 44. An estimated 96 thousand people named Kendra are alive in the United States today.

median 35 020406080100

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

Kendra 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 320 #849 – –
2024 415 #686 – –
2023 381 #739 – –
2022 420 #703 – –
2021 460 #649 – –
2020 539 #551 – –
2019 521 #586 – –
2018 625 #498 – –
2017 741 #430 – –
2016 964 #347 – –
2015 964 #341 – –
2014 1,271 #258 – –
2013 1,724 #189 6 #11,493
2012 810 #386 – –
2011 1,071 #293 – –
2010 1,497 #207 – –
2009 1,390 #239 – –
2008 1,450 #236 – –
2007 1,702 #200 – –
2006 1,404 #244 – –
2005 1,245 #262 – –
2004 1,199 #272 9 #7,892
2003 1,235 #259 – –
2002 1,386 #227 5 #11,648
2001 1,496 #211 – –
2000 1,730 #187 7 #8,696
1995 2,372 #133 5 #9,629
1990 2,789 #117 13 #4,291
1985 1,840 #154 14 #3,307
1980 1,816 #154 5 #6,785
1975 1,505 #173 6 #5,133
1970 1,150 #267 – –
1965 454 #444 – –
1960 285 #588 – –
1955 136 #832 – –
1950 92 #931 – –
1945 53 #1,087 – –
1940 20 #1,819 – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kendra

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

  1. 1 Kendra Wilkinson Kendra Wilkinson American television personality (born 1985) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kendra Harrison Kendra Harrison American hurdler (born 1992) Contemporary
  3. 3 Kendra Lust Pornographic actor, United States b. 1978 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kendra?

The median living Kendra is about 35 years old. Half of all living Kendras are between 24 and 44 years old.

How many people named Kendra are alive today?

An estimated 96 thousand people named Kendra are alive in the United States, based on 98,788 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kendra mean?

Coined in the latter half of the twentieth century, presumably a blend of Kenneth +‎ Sandra.

How popular is the name Kendra in 2025?

Kendra ranked #849 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 320 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kendra?

98,788 babies have been named Kendra in the United States since 1936, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kendra most popular?

Kendra peaked in 1987, when 3,863 newborns received the name.

Is Kendra a boy or girl name?

Kendra is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kendra rising or falling?

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

Will Kendra become more popular?

Kendra is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 252 girls named Kendra 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 Kendra?

Well-known people named Kendra include Kendra Wilkinson (celebrity), Kendra Harrison (athlete), Kendra Lust (pornographic actor).

Names like Kendra

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

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