Meaning and history
From the Irish surname Kennedy, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Cinnéidigh, which comes from the given name Cennétig, the name has sometimes been used in honor of the assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917–1963). It was also popularized as a girls’ name by Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (1972–), known simply as Kennedy, who hosted MTV’s Alternative Nation from 1992 to 1997.
20062006: 2,904 births, rank #115
2007: 3,054 births, rank #110
2008: 2,953 births, rank #115
2009: 2,863 births, rank #115
2010: 2,833 births, rank #111
20112011: 3,248 births, rank #91
2012: 3,389 births, rank #84
2013: 3,961 births, rank #65
2014: 4,498 births, rank #54
2015: 4,523 births, rank #58
20162016: 4,341 births, rank #59
2017: 4,162 births, rank #58
2018: 3,946 births, rank #59
2019: 3,692 births, rank #67
2020: 3,361 births, rank #72
20212021: 3,443 births, rank #70
2022: 3,077 births, rank #74
2023: 3,075 births, rank #72
2024: 2,890 births, rank #89
20252025: 2,933 births, rank #85
Kennedy has risen sharply in the modern US rankings, moving from #139 in 2000 to #85 in 2025. It now stands at #85 for girls. Its highest annual birth count came in 2015, with 4,523 births.