Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Ken?
Births per year, rank history and how many Kens are alive today.
Ken (male) is a shortened form of the name Kenneth. Although Ken itself was given to 6 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 3256th as a registered name), most Kens are registered as Kenneth, which ranked 1007th in 2025 with 30 babies.
Most people called Ken are registered as Kenneth, and share that name's profile: the Kenneth you are most likely to meet is around 80 years old. Half of all Kenneths born in England and Wales are between 64 and 84, and there are at least 110,000 of them alive today. Only some Kenneths go by Ken.
How many babies are named Ken or Kenneth each year?
Combined registrations of Kenneth, Ken. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Kenneth rank as a registered name?
Where does Ken rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Ken short for Kenneth?
Yes - Ken is a shortened form of Kenneth. Kens are usually registered as Kenneth at birth.
When was the name Ken most popular?
The full name Kenneth peaked in 1924, when around 10,600 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Ken itself peaked as a registered name in 2015, with 13 babies.
How many people are called Ken?
There's no official count of people who go by Ken, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 110,000 people registered as Kenneth born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Ken.
How old is the typical Ken?
Most people called Ken are registered as Kenneth. Most living Kenneths are between 64 and 84; the most common age is about 80.
Is Ken becoming more or less popular?
Rising: numbers have been climbing in recent years.