Ken

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

Ken is a masculine given name of Japanese and Scottish Gaelic origin. The Japanese given name is common among males. It can have many different meanings depending on the kanji used. Ken is also a masculine given name of Scottish / Scottish Gaelic origin.

From Wikipedia

Ken first appears in the data in 1900 and has been recorded in 116 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 1960 with 1,776 babies (rank #177 that year). In 2024 it was given to 36 boys (rank #3,295). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Ken

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Ken yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

3Destiny numberThe creativeExpressive, sociable, lifted by playful energy.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
5Soul urgeThe free spiritCurious, restless, energised by change.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
7PersonalityThe seekerIntrospective, analytical, drawn to the unknown.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

33,004

Total babies (all years)

116

Years in the data

1,776

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In Mad Men: Ken Cosgrove — accounts and aspiring writer

Famous people named Ken

Ken Keseyamateur wrestler · b. 1935
Ken Follettprose writer · b. 1949
Ken Livingstonebroadcaster · b. 1945
Ken Pagecabaret performer · b. 1954
Ken Russellfilm editor · b. 1927

Share your Ken story

Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Ken in 2024

Other boys' names starting with K

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1900	7	#1,112
1910	5	#1,730
1911	6	#1,645
1912	14	#1,318
1913	10	#1,881
1914	11	#2,041
1915	20	#1,581
1916	17	#1,812
1917	21	#1,618
1918	17	#1,951
1919	19	#1,781
1920	32	#1,292
1921	23	#1,615
1922	29	#1,382
1923	30	#1,345
1924	34	#1,260
1925	39	#1,134
1926	54	#925
1927	48	#1,018
1928	34	#1,242
1929	57	#880
1930	76	#728
1931	95	#607
1932	127	#511
1933	108	#553
1934	152	#457
1935	167	#440
1936	211	#376
1937	203	#385
1938	252	#349
1939	276	#335
1940	303	#327
1941	345	#312
1942	407	#302
1943	444	#294
1944	427	#287
1945	479	#272
1946	684	#227
1947	707	#247
1948	622	#261
1949	456	#322
1950	347	#362
1951	296	#395
1952	321	#382
1953	317	#394
1954	370	#367
1955	439	#345
1956	657	#285
1957	1,178	#221
1958	1,533	#185
1959	1,653	#182
1960	1,776	#177
1961	1,664	#188
1962	1,686	#181
1963	1,634	#178
1964	1,476	#192
1965	1,100	#218
1966	821	#252
1967	649	#284
1968	601	#306
1969	495	#356
1970	486	#369
1971	363	#426
1972	287	#465
1973	232	#515
1974	202	#564
1975	156	#660
1976	137	#717
1977	124	#764
1978	137	#719
1979	119	#795
1980	141	#739
1981	145	#719
1982	135	#758
1983	105	#855
1984	116	#813
1985	112	#853
1986	101	#913
1987	126	#831
1988	111	#908
1989	137	#860
1990	142	#858
1991	127	#942
1992	113	#1,032
1993	104	#1,100
1994	112	#1,055
1995	126	#992
1996	119	#1,035
1997	125	#1,021
1998	104	#1,193
1999	119	#1,117
2000	123	#1,134
2001	124	#1,132
2002	134	#1,095
2003	110	#1,287
2004	153	#1,055
2005	117	#1,305
2006	135	#1,244
2007	120	#1,378
2008	108	#1,511
2009	104	#1,570
2010	68	#2,027
2011	88	#1,694
2012	107	#1,509
2013	75	#1,890
2014	85	#1,774
2015	87	#1,760
2016	90	#1,733
2017	63	#2,161
2018	62	#2,219
2019	51	#2,568
2020	56	#2,382
2021	52	#2,542
2022	50	#2,658
2023	37	#3,257
2024	36	#3,295