Kennedy (given name)

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For other uses, see Kennedy.
Kennedy
Cinnéidigh - Gaelic type.svg
Cinnéididh and Cinnéidigh in a Gaelic type. Note the lenited g and d in the names (gh, dh) once appeared in Irish orthography with a dot above them.
Pronunciation/ˈkɛnɪdi/
GenderUnisex
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Irish
Other names
See alsoKennedy (surname)

Kennedy (also spelled Kenedi, Kennedie, Kennedi) (/ˈkɛnɪdi/[1]) is a unisex given name in the English language. The name is an Anglicised form of a masculine given name in the Irish language.

Etymology[]

According to Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges, the given name Kennedy is an Anglicised form of Cinnéidigh, a masculine given name in the Irish language.[2][3] This Irish name is composed of two elements: the first, ceann, means "head"; the second, éidigh, means "ugly".[3] According to Patrick Woulfe, who wrote in the early 19th century, Kennedy or Kynidi is an Anglicised form the Irish Cinnéididh and Cinnéidigh. Woulfe derived these Irish names from two elements: the first, ceann, meaning "a head"; the second, éide, meaning "Armour"; hence the name can be thought to mean "helmet-headed".[4]

Other languages[]

As a masculine given name, Kennedy can be rendered into Irish as Cinnéididh and Cinnéidigh,[3][4] and into Latin as Kinnedius.[4] The masculine Kennedy can be rendered into Scottish Gaelic as Uarraig. This name is etymologically unrelated to the English Kennedy and Irish Cinnéidigh. Uarraig is composed of two Scottish Gaelic elements: the first, uall, means "pride"; and the second, garg, means "fierce". This Scottish Gaelic name is Anglicised Kennedy possibly because it was commonly borne by various families who bore the surname Kennedy.[5] One such family, according tradition dating from the 18th century, descended from a man who bore a form of this name, and settled in Lochaber in the 16th century.[6][7][8]

Popularity and use[]

Throughout the English-speaking world, the given name Kennedy has sometimes been used in honour of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, who was assassinated in 1963, and his brother Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968.[2]

In the United States of America, Kennedy, has been among the top 1,000 names recorded in Social Security card applications, in the last 10 years, for both baby boys and girls. As a masculine name, Kennedy first appeared amongst the top 1,000 names in 1960, but fell out of the top 1,000 after 1968. The name did not re-enter the top 1,000 until 1994, where it stayed until 2005. At its height, Kennedy was ranked the 516th most popular masculine baby name in 1964. As a feminine name, Kennedy first appeared among the top 1,000 names in 1994, where it has remained ever since. Its peak it was ranked the 110th most popular feminine baby name in 2007. As of 2009 it was the 114th most popular.[9] In 1990, the United States Census Bureau undertook a study of the 1990 United States Census, and released a sample of data concerning the most popular names.[10] According to this sample of 6.3 million people (who had 5,494 unique first names),[11] Kennedy did not even appear among the 4,275 feminine names, or the 1,219 masculine names.[12][13]

Popularity charts[]

Popularity of Kennedy as a masculine name
Popularity of Kennedy as a feminine name
The years and rank when Kennedy appeared amongst the top 1,000 names for Social Security card applications concerning male and female births in the United States of America.

People[]

Notable people with the given name or nickname Kennedy include:

Males with the name[]

  • Kennedy Agyapong (born 1960), Ghanaian politician and businessman
  • Ken Anderson (wrestler) (born 1976), known professionally as Mr. Kennedy, American professional wrestler
  • Kennedy Ashia (born 1993), Ghanaian professional football player
  • Kennedy Baker (born 1996), American former gymnast
  • Kennedy Bakircioglu (born 1980), Swedish former football player
  • Kennedy Asamoah Boateng (born 1989), Ghanaian professional football player
  • Kennedy Kofi Boateng (born 1993), Ghanaian professional football player
  • Kennedy Brooks (born 1998), American football player
  • Kennedy Francis Burns (1842–1895), Canadian politician and businessman
  • Kennedy Chandler (born 2002), American football player
  • Kennedy Chihuri (born 1969), Zimbabwean former football player
  • Reuben Asberry Jr., professionally known as Kennedy Davenport, American drag queen
  • Kennedy Edwin (born 1976), Malaysian musician
  • Kennedy Eriba (born 1990), Nigerian professional football player
  • Kennedy William Gordy (born 1964), professionally known as Rockwell, American former singer
  • Kennedy Graham (born 1946), New Zealand politician
  • Kennedy Hinkson (born 1986), Trinidad and Tobago professional football player
  • Kennedy Igboananike (born 1989), Nigerian professional football player
  • Kennedy Ihenacho (born 1990), Nigerian professional football player
  • Kennedy Izuka, American soccer player
  • Kennedy Jones (journalist) (1865–1921), British journalist
  • Kennedy Jones (musician) (1900–1990), American musician
  • Kennedy Musyoka Kalonzo (born 1987), Kenyan politician and lawyer
  • Kennedy Kanyanta (born 1979), Zambian professional boxer
  • Kennedy Katende (born 1985), Ugandan-Swedish amateur boxer
  • Kennedy Kimwetich (born 1973), Kenyan former runner
  • Kennedy Kithuka (born 1989), Kenyan-American runner
  • Kennedy Lindsay (1927–1997), British politician
  • Kennedy Macdonald (1847–1914), New Zealand politician
  • Kennedy Malunga (born 1970), Malawian professional football player
  • Kennedy McArthur (1881–1960), known as Ken McArthur, Irish track and field athlete
  • Kennedy McIntosh (1949–2009), American professional basketball player
  • Kennedy McKinney (born 1966), American former professional boxer
  • Kennedy Meeks (born 1995), American professional basketball player
  • Kennedy Moretti (born 1966), Brazilian pianist
  • Kennedy Mudenda (born 1988), Zambian professional football player
  • Kennedy Mweene (born 1984), Zambian professional football player
  • Kennedy Nagoli (born 1973), Zimbabwean former professional football player
  • Kennedy Nketani (born 1984), Zambian professional football player
  • Kennedy Nkeyasen (born 1976), Ghanaian former professional soccer player
  • Kennedy Ugoala Nwanganga (born 1990), Nigerian professional football player
  • Kennedy Osei Nyarko (born 1979), Ghanaian politician
  • Kennedy Ochieng (born 1971), Kenyan former sprinter
  • Kennedy Odede, Kenyan entrepreneur
  • Kennedy Mong'are Okong'o (born 1969), Kenyan politician
  • Kennedy Okonkwo (born 1977), Nigerian businessman
  • Kennedy Omogi (born 1983)
  • Kennedy Ondiek (1966–2011), Kenyan runner
  • Kennedy J. P. Orton (1872–1930), British chemist
  • Kennedy Osei (born 1966), Ghanaian former runner
  • Kennedy Otieno (born 1972), Kenyan former professional cricketer
  • Kennedy Polamalu (born 1963), American football coach and former college football player
  • Kennedy L. Potter (died 1933), American politician
  • Kennedy J. Reed, American physicist
  • Kennedy Russell (1883–1954), British composer
  • Kennedy Simmonds (born 1936), Saint Kitts and Nevis politician
  • Kennedy St-Pierre (born 1992), Mauritian professional boxer
  • Kennedy Stewart (Canadian politician) (born 1966), Canadian politician
  • Kennedy Stewart (Irish politician) (1882–1964), Irish politician
  • Kennedy Thomson (1936–1996), British television presenter
  • Kennedy Trevaskis (1915–1990), British colonial official and army officer
  • Kennedy Tsimba (born 1974), South African professional rugby coach and former player
  • Kennedy Venkersammy (born 1951), Guyanese former professional cricketer
  • Kennedy John Victor (born 1966), professionally known as Vikram, Indian actor
  • Kennedy Winston (born 1984), American professional basketball player
  • Kennedy Wong (born 1963), Hong Kong solicitor

Females with the name[]

  • Kennedy Burke (born 1997), American professional basketball player
  • Kennedy Faulknor (born 1999), Canadian soccer player
  • Kennedy Fraser (born 1948), American writer
  • Kennedy Goss (born 1996), Canadian competitive swimmer
  • Kennedy Holmes, American singer
  • Kennedy Marchment (born 1996), Canadian professional ice hockey player
  • Kennedy McMann (born 1996), American actress
  • Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (born 1972), known mononymously as Kennedy, American political commentator
  • Kennedy Summers (born 1987), American model and actress

References[]

  1. ^ Kennedy, Dictionary.com, retrieved 14 November 2010 which cited: Dictionary.com Unabridged, Random House.
  2. ^ a b Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 157, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  3. ^ a b c Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 344, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  4. ^ a b c Cinnéididh, Cinnéidigh, Library Ireland (www.libraryireland.com), retrieved 16 January 2011, which is a transcription of: Woulfe, Patrick (1923), Irish Names and Surnames.
  5. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 410, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  6. ^ Black, George Fraser (1946), The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History, New York: New York Public Library, pp. 569–570.
  7. ^ Macbain, Alexander (1911), An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language, Stirling, Scotland: Eneas Mackay, p. 402.
  8. ^ Buchanan of Auchmar, William (1849), An historical and genealogical essay upon the family and surname of Buchanan; to which is added a brief inquiry into the genealogy and present state of ancient Scottish surnames, and more particularly of the Highland clans, Cincinnati: J.A. & U.P. James, p. 183, this book is a reprint of Buchanan of Auchmar's 1723 book.
  9. ^ Popularity of a Name, Social Security Online, retrieved 17 November 2010.
  10. ^ Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 1990 – Names Files, United States Census Bureau, archived from the original on 31 December 2009, retrieved 21 October 2010.
  11. ^ Documentation and Methodology for Frequently Occurring Names in the U.S., United States Census Bureau, archived from the original (txt) on 31 December 2009, retrieved 21 October 2010.
  12. ^ dist.male.first (txt), United States Census Bureau, retrieved 17 November 2010.
  13. ^ dist.female.first, United States Census Bureau, archived from the original (txt) on 4 September 2014, retrieved 17 November 2010.

See also[]

  • List of Irish-language given names
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