boys' name ★ peaked 1962

Kent

Meaning gathering, folkmoot, hillock Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,659 Trend ↓ Falling 20%

Inherited from Middle English Kent, from Old English Cent, from Latin Cantium, from Brythonic *Cantio (compare Old Irish céite (“gathering, folkmoot, hillock”)), from…

Rank 2025
#1,659
among boys · ↓23 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
101
named Kent · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,912
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1962
2,592 babies
All-time total
69,493
#410 all-time among boys
First recorded
1885
in Social Security records

Kent popularity over time

69,493 babies have been named Kent since 1885, 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 5 5 1 – #1,020
1890s – 31 31 3 +520% #800
1900s – 55 55 6 +77% #821
1910s – 388 388 39 +605% #778
1920s 5 1,082 1,087 109 +180% #501
1930s – 3,123 3,123 312 +187% #234
1940s 5 8,346 8,351 835 +167% #182
1950s 39 18,691 18,730 1,873 +124% #141
1960s 75 19,258 19,333 1,933 +3% #136
1970s 26 6,728 6,754 675 -65% #216
1980s 21 4,999 5,020 502 -26% #334
1990s – 2,902 2,902 290 -42% #488
2000s – 1,615 1,615 162 -44% #774
2010s – 1,425 1,425 143 -12% #1,132
2020s (to 2025) – 674 674 112 -21% #1,415

Where Kent 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 97 0.06 outside top 500
2027 94 0.06 outside top 500
2028 91 0.05 outside top 500
2029 89 0.05 outside top 500
2030 87 0.05 outside top 500

Where Kent is most popular

Boys named Kent per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.064 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.

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 Kent 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
Utah 14 0.147 +129%
Indiana 14 0.087 +36%
Pennsylvania 22 0.083 +29%
Ohio 20 0.075 +18%
Texas 56 0.064 ≈ national
North Carolina 16 0.063 ≈ national
California 54 0.059 -8%
New York 22 0.051 -21%
Maryland 5 0.042 -35%
Florida 19 0.040 -37%
Michigan 5 0.024 -62%
Georgia 6 0.024 -63%
Illinois 5 0.020 -69%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Kent

Kent is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,659 in 2025 with 101 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1885, 69,493 American babies have been named Kent. Its peak came in 1962, when 2,592 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 Kent stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kent?

The median living Kent is about 62 years old; half are between 49 and 68. An estimated 52 thousand people named Kent 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.

Kent 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 – – 101 #1,659
2024 – – 104 #1,636
2023 – – 102 #1,676
2022 – – 116 #1,545
2021 – – 130 #1,415
2020 – – 121 #1,432
2019 – – 122 #1,438
2018 – – 157 #1,201
2017 – – 140 #1,297
2016 – – 164 #1,164
2015 – – 157 #1,184
2014 – – 149 #1,227
2013 – – 161 #1,132
2012 – – 114 #1,453
2011 – – 132 #1,300
2010 – – 129 #1,329
2009 – – 122 #1,400
2008 – – 140 #1,246
2007 – – 148 #1,191
2006 – – 139 #1,209
2005 – – 154 #1,074
2004 – – 159 #1,032
2003 – – 192 #883
2002 – – 169 #950
2001 – – 177 #895
2000 – – 215 #774
1995 – – 227 #705
1990 – – 394 #488
1985 – – 532 #350
1980 – – 497 #357
1975 – – 501 #341
1970 6 #7,485 1,153 #216
1965 8 #5,046 1,846 #161
1960 6 #6,018 2,397 #148
1955 6 #5,512 1,856 #156
1950 – – 1,233 #180
1945 – – 715 #202
1940 – – 578 #216
1935 – – 351 #290
1930 – – 166 #460
1925 – – 121 #563
1920 – – 91 #670
1915 – – 46 #921
1910 – – 11 #1,014
1905 – – – –
1900 – – 5 #1,412
1895 – – 6 #1,032
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 5 #1,020
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kent

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

  1. 1 Kent Bazemore Kent Bazemore American basketball player (born 1989) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kent Beck Kent Beck American software engineer b. 1961 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Kent Conrad Kent Conrad American politician (born 1948) Contemporary
  4. 4 Kent Nielsen Kent Nielsen Danish footballer and manager (born 1961) Contemporary
  5. 5 Kent Robin Tønnesen Kent Robin Tønnesen Norwegian handball player (born 1991) Contemporary
  6. 6 Kent Karlsson Swedish football coach and former player (born 1945) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kent?

The median living Kent is about 62 years old. Half of all living Kents are between 49 and 68 years old.

How many people named Kent are alive today?

An estimated 52 thousand people named Kent are alive in the United States, based on 69,493 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kent mean?

Inherited from Middle English Kent, from Old English Cent, from Latin Cantium, from Brythonic *Cantio (compare Old Irish céite (“gathering, folkmoot, hillock”)), from Proto-Celtic *kantos (“corner, rim”).

How popular is the name Kent in 2025?

Kent ranked #1,659 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 101 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kent?

69,493 babies have been named Kent in the United States since 1885, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kent most popular?

Kent peaked in 1962, when 2,592 newborns received the name.

Is Kent a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Kent rising or falling?

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

Will Kent become more popular?

Kent is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 87 boys named Kent 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 Kent?

Well-known people named Kent include Kent Bazemore (basketball player), Kent Beck (computer scientist), Kent Conrad (politician).

Names like Kent

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

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