Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2012

Kenley

Meaning A female given name transferred from the surname Gender Unisex · 86% girls Rank 2025 #1,638 Trend ↓ Falling 38%

A female given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#1,638
among girls · ↓161 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
145
named Kenley · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 12,656
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2012
650 babies
All-time total
8,451
#2,022 all-time among girls
First recorded
1924
in Social Security records

Kenley popularity over time

8,451 babies have been named Kenley since 1924, 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 – – – – – –
1920s – 5 5 1 – –
1930s – 50 50 5 +900% –
1940s – 6 6 1 -88% –
1950s – 47 47 5 +683% –
1960s – 44 44 4 -6% –
1970s 16 140 156 16 +255% #6,417
1980s 43 106 149 15 -4% #7,208
1990s 230 146 376 38 +152% #2,452
2000s 1,525 214 1,739 174 +363% #660
2010s 4,594 278 4,872 487 +180% #494
2020s (to 2025) 882 125 1,007 168 -66% #1,288

Where Kenley 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 117 0.07 outside top 500
2027 109 0.07 outside top 500
2028 103 0.06 outside top 500
2029 98 0.06 outside top 500
2030 94 0.06 outside top 500

Where Kenley is most popular

Girls named Kenley per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.087 per 1,000. Strongest in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Georgia.

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 Kenley 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
Wisconsin 19 0.184 +111%
North Carolina 34 0.149 +71%
Georgia 31 0.136 +56%
South Carolina 12 0.133 +53%
Kentucky 11 0.129 +47%
Pennsylvania 29 0.123 +40%
Alabama 11 0.117 +34%
Virginia 14 0.082 -6%
Louisiana 7 0.080 -8%
Indiana 10 0.071 -18%
California 55 0.065 -25%
Illinois 14 0.061 -30%
Texas 44 0.055 -37%
Ohio 12 0.051 -42%
New York 20 0.051 -42%
Missouri 6 0.050 -43%
Maryland 5 0.047 -46%
Florida 20 0.047 -47%
Tennessee 6 0.038 -57%
New Jersey 5 0.028 -68%
Michigan 5 0.027 -69%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Kenley

Kenley is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,638 in 2025 with 127 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1924, 8,451 American babies have been named Kenley, about 86% girls and 14% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2012, when 650 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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

How old are people named Kenley?

The median living Kenley is about 13 years old; half are between 9 and 16. An estimated 8,300 people named Kenley are alive in the United States today.

median 13 020406080100

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

Kenley 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 127 #1,638 18 #5,314
2024 148 #1,477 13 #6,655
2023 144 #1,504 28 #3,945
2022 144 #1,512 25 #4,238
2021 146 #1,471 19 #5,028
2020 173 #1,288 22 #4,493
2019 245 #1,047 23 #4,414
2018 280 #949 20 #4,846
2017 368 #757 17 #5,416
2016 369 #772 22 #4,548
2015 431 #662 17 #5,409
2014 544 #563 31 #3,506
2013 548 #542 26 #3,910
2012 614 #499 36 #3,145
2011 599 #494 41 #2,878
2010 596 #500 45 #2,710
2009 447 #660 25 #4,114
2008 268 #993 25 #4,092
2007 152 #1,521 27 #3,846
2006 126 #1,674 24 #4,053
2005 118 #1,685 19 #4,565
2004 102 #1,866 21 #4,194
2003 94 #1,938 17 #4,721
2002 91 #1,945 11 #6,326
2001 62 #2,499 24 #3,569
2000 65 #2,387 21 #3,859
1995 19 #5,125 16 #3,970
1990 9 #8,849 16 #3,701
1985 7 #8,767 14 #3,308
1980 – – 6 #5,918
1975 – – 15 #2,700
1970 – – 14 #2,576
1965 – – 8 #3,117
1960 – – – –
1955 – – 7 #3,346
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – 29 #1,264
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kenley?

The median living Kenley is about 13 years old. Half of all living Kenleys are between 9 and 16 years old.

How many people named Kenley are alive today?

An estimated 8,300 people named Kenley are alive in the United States, based on 8,451 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kenley mean?

A female given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Kenley in 2025?

Kenley ranked #1,638 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 127 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kenley?

8,451 babies have been named Kenley in the United States since 1924, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kenley most popular?

Kenley peaked in 2012, when 650 newborns received the name.

Is Kenley a boy or girl name?

Kenley is used for both: about 86% of babies named Kenley have been girls and 14% boys.

Is the name Kenley rising or falling?

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

Will Kenley become more popular?

Kenley is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 94 girls named Kenley in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Kenley

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

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