Unisex name ★ peaked 1973

Kenya

Gender Unisex · 92% girls Rank 2025 #2,499 Trend ↓ Falling 48%
Rank 2025
#2,499
among girls · ↓839 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
71
named Kenya · -46% vs 2024
How common
1 in 22,638
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1973
1,039 babies
All-time total
27,553
#919 all-time among girls
First recorded
1952
in Social Security records

Kenya popularity over time

27,553 babies have been named Kenya since 1952, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 89 – 89 9 – #2,707
1960s 691 102 793 79 +791% #672
1970s 6,502 1,060 7,562 756 +854% #275
1980s 3,440 318 3,758 376 -50% #421
1990s 5,220 341 5,561 556 +48% #376
2000s 5,069 215 5,284 528 -5% #508
2010s 3,553 97 3,650 365 -31% #534
2020s (to 2025) 848 8 856 143 -61% #1,208

Where Kenya 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 63 0.04 outside top 500
2027 57 0.04 outside top 500
2028 52 0.03 outside top 500
2029 48 0.03 outside top 500
2030 45 0.03 outside top 500

Where Kenya is most popular

Girls named Kenya per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.081 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, South Carolina, and California.

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 Kenya 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
Georgia 44 0.194 +139%
South Carolina 16 0.178 +119%
California 94 0.112 +38%
Texas 85 0.106 +30%
Florida 45 0.105 +30%
Virginia 16 0.094 +16%
New York 32 0.081 ≈ national
Arizona 11 0.078 ≈ national
Tennessee 11 0.069 -14%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -30%
North Carolina 12 0.053 -35%
New Jersey 6 0.033 -59%
Ohio 6 0.025 -69%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
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 Kenya

Kenya is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,499 in 2025 with 71 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1952, 27,553 American babies have been named Kenya, about 92% girls and 8% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1973, when 1,039 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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

How old are people named Kenya?

The median living Kenya is about 32 years old; half are between 19 and 47. An estimated 27 thousand people named Kenya are alive in the United States today.

median 32 020406080100

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

Kenya 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 71 #2,499 – –
2024 124 #1,660 8 #9,450
2023 135 #1,572 – –
2022 166 #1,383 – –
2021 162 #1,366 – –
2020 190 #1,208 – –
2019 228 #1,092 7 #10,319
2018 242 #1,060 9 #8,519
2017 275 #964 12 #6,916
2016 326 #863 7 #10,243
2015 309 #894 7 #10,136
2014 403 #702 6 #11,472
2013 469 #602 10 #7,843
2012 569 #534 15 #5,862
2011 337 #803 10 #7,811
2010 395 #716 14 #6,222
2009 478 #631 11 #7,484
2008 570 #541 14 #6,268
2007 587 #534 13 #6,460
2006 578 #523 20 #4,607
2005 466 #610 23 #3,995
2004 432 #632 27 #3,503
2003 475 #582 15 #5,165
2002 493 #553 33 #2,854
2001 466 #559 31 #2,966
2000 524 #508 28 #3,119
1995 673 #394 24 #2,981
1990 366 #616 34 #2,144
1985 290 #641 19 #2,650
1980 520 #421 59 #1,194
1975 864 #281 130 #727
1970 335 #554 67 #997
1965 49 #1,606 6 #3,729
1960 19 #2,859 – –
1955 14 #3,159 – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kenya

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

  1. 1 Kenya Moore Kenya Moore American actress (born 1971) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kenya Matsui Japanese footballer b. 1985 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Kenya Okazaki Japanese footballer b. 1990 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Kenya Maeshiro Soccer player, Japan b. 1995 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kenya?

The median living Kenya is about 32 years old. Half of all living Kenyas are between 19 and 47 years old.

How many people named Kenya are alive today?

An estimated 27 thousand people named Kenya are alive in the United States, based on 27,553 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Kenya in 2025?

Kenya ranked #2,499 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 71 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kenya?

27,553 babies have been named Kenya in the United States since 1952, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kenya most popular?

Kenya peaked in 1973, when 1,039 newborns received the name.

Is Kenya a boy or girl name?

Kenya is used for both: about 92% of babies named Kenya have been girls and 8% boys.

Is the name Kenya rising or falling?

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

Will Kenya become more popular?

Kenya is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 45 girls named Kenya 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 Kenya?

Well-known people named Kenya include Kenya Moore (actor), Kenya Matsui (soccer player), Kenya Okazaki (soccer player).

Names like Kenya

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

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