Kennedy
Girl name · #85 in 2025 · Well-known
Kennedy ranks #85 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 2,933 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #58, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 614 girls born in 2025 was named Kennedy.
The 68-year story
Kennedy first appears in the Social Security records in 1957, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2015, when 4,523 girls were named Kennedy — good for #58 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Kennedy per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kennedy against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kennedy in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Kennedy is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Kennedy is most common
Geography matters for names, and Kennedy is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Kennedy is most common in NH (7.1 per 1,000), DE (5.3 per 1,000), RI (5.3 per 1,000), ME (4.5 per 1,000), WV (3.5 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 2.3 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Kennedy is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Kennedy
Statistically, parents drawn to Kennedy tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Kinsley, Audrey, Serenity, Aaliyah, and Genesis.
KinsleyAudreySerenityAaliyahGenesisPaisleyRileyHadley
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kennedy | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,933 | #85 |
| 2024 | 2,890 | #89 |
| 2023 | 3,075 | #72 |
| 2022 | 3,077 | #74 |
| 2021 | 3,443 | #70 |
| 2020 | 3,361 | #72 |
| 2019 | 3,692 | #67 |
| 2018 | 3,946 | #59 |
| 2017 | 4,162 | #58 |
| 2016 | 4,341 | #59 |
| 2015 | 4,523 | #58 |
| 2014 | 4,498 | #54 |
| 2013 | 3,961 | #65 |
| 2012 | 3,389 | #84 |
| 2011 | 3,248 | #91 |
| 2010 | 2,833 | #111 |
| 2009 | 2,863 | #115 |
| 2008 | 2,953 | #115 |
| 2007 | 3,054 | #110 |
| 2006 | 2,904 | #115 |
| 2005 | 2,826 | #118 |
| 2004 | 2,886 | #117 |
| 2003 | 2,774 | #122 |
| 2002 | 2,513 | #136 |
| 2001 | 2,406 | #138 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kennedy a popular girl name?
Kennedy ranked #85 among girls in 2025 with 2,933 babies given the name — firmly in the top 100, so yes, it’s a popular choice. Ten years earlier it ranked #58.
When was the name Kennedy most popular?
Kennedy peaked in 2015, when 4,523 American girls received the name (ranked #58 that year). Since 2015 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Kennedy?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 614 newborn American girls was named Kennedy. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.