Kenya
Kenya is a boy's name of African origin.
Meaning
White mountain or snow-capped mountain.
Origin and history
Kenya is a unisex given name derived from Mount Kenya, known in the Kikuyu language as Kirinyaga, meaning 'snow-capped mountain'. Though more commonly given to girls in the United States, it has a long history of masculine usage as a geographic and heritage-inspired name. In recent years, its usage for boys has become relatively rare.
Popularity in the United States
2,141 babies in the United States have been named Kenya since 1880. It ranks #2790 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #1919.
States where it is most popular
- GA (14 %)
- NY (13.6 %)
- CA (11.1 %)
- FL (9.5 %)
- IL (7.9 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 0 |
| 1890-1900 | 0 |
| 1900-1910 | 0 |
| 1910-1920 | 0 |
| 1920-1930 | 0 |
| 1930-1940 | 0 |
| 1940-1950 | 0 |
| 1950-1960 | 0 |
| 1960-1970 | 102 |
| 1970-1980 | 1,060 |
| 1980-1990 | 318 |
| 1990-2000 | 341 |
| 2000-2010 | 215 |
| 2010-2019 | 97 |
| 2020-2029 | 8 |
Famous people named Kenya
- Kenya Martin: American football player
Fun facts
- The name directly references Mount Kenya, the second-highest peak in Africa.
- While predominantly given to females in the U.S., Kenya has been consistently used as a masculine name since the mid-20th century.