NameCensus.

UK surname

Kenny

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Cionnaith," meaning "descendant of Cionnaith" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

In the 1881 census there were 3,596 people recorded with the Kenny surname, ranking it #1,256 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 10,778, ranked #602, up from #1,256 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Toxteth Park and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St. Helens, Liverpool and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kenny is 11,188 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 199.7%.

1881 census count

3,596

Ranked #1,256

Modern count

10,778

2016, ranked #602

Peak year

2010

11,188 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kenny had 3,596 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,256 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 10,778 in 2016, ranked #602.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,660 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Kenny surname distribution map

The map shows where the Kenny surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Kenny surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kenny over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,454 #1,976
1861 historical 1,675 #1,705
1881 historical 3,596 #1,256
1891 historical 3,703 #1,287
1901 historical 4,660 #1,212
1911 historical 4,400 #1,172
1997 modern 10,198 #603
1998 modern 10,508 #609
1999 modern 10,649 #606
2000 modern 10,567 #610
2001 modern 10,328 #606
2002 modern 10,536 #610
2003 modern 10,388 #604
2004 modern 10,341 #606
2005 modern 10,296 #606
2006 modern 10,355 #601
2007 modern 10,478 #598
2008 modern 10,650 #593
2009 modern 10,941 #592
2010 modern 11,188 #595
2011 modern 10,951 #596
2012 modern 10,663 #600
2013 modern 10,825 #600
2014 modern 10,908 #601
2015 modern 10,760 #604
2016 modern 10,778 #602

Geography

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Where Kennys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Toxteth Park, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St. Helens, Liverpool and Wigan. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Toxteth Park Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St. Helens 019 St. Helens
2 St. Helens 016 St. Helens
3 St. Helens 012 St. Helens
4 Liverpool 022 Liverpool
5 Wigan 009 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kenny

These lists show first names that appear often with the Kenny surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kenny

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kenny, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Kenny surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Kenny household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Kenny is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kenny is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kenny falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kenny is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Kenny, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kenny

The surname Kenny is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name Ó Ceinneididh, meaning "descendant of Cennéidigh." The name Cennéidigh is believed to be derived from the Old Irish words "cenn" meaning "head" and "éidigh" meaning "ugly" or "misshapen." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone with a distinctive or unusual head shape.

The surname Kenny is found predominantly in counties Sligo, Mayo, and Galway in the western province of Connacht, Ireland. It is thought to have originated in the region of Conmaicne Cuile Toladh, which encompassed parts of modern-day counties Sligo and Mayo. The name is first recorded in the Annals of Ulster in the 13th century, where it appears as "O'Cennedigh."

One of the earliest known mentions of the surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which records the death of "Donnchadh O'Cennedigh" in the year 1249. Another early reference is in the Pipe Roll of Cloyne, a medieval Irish record from the late 13th century, which lists a "David O'Kenidy."

Notable individuals with the surname Kenny throughout history include:

1. James Kenny (c. 1640 - c. 1720), an Irish Jacobite soldier and poet. 2. Sir Edward Kenny (1773 - 1848), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin. 3. Thomas Joseph Kenny (1846 - 1927), an Irish-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of St. Augustine. 4. Arthur Kenny (1880 - 1952), an Irish-Canadian politician who served as the 12th Premier of Nova Scotia. 5. Patrick Kenny (1918 - 2019), an Irish hurler who played for the Dublin senior team and won three All-Ireland medals.

The surname Kenny has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Kennydale in County Sligo and Kenny's Cross in County Mayo, further reflecting the historical roots of the name in the western region of the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kenny families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kenny surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 1,318 Kennys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.18x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,318 3.18x
Yorkshire 429 1.24x
Middlesex 338 0.97x
Durham 185 1.78x
Lanarkshire 151 1.33x
Surrey 103 0.60x
Cheshire 98 1.27x
Warwickshire 97 1.10x
Leicestershire 83 2.14x
Staffordshire 75 0.64x
Angus 72 2.22x
Norfolk 62 1.15x
Kent 46 0.39x
Stirlingshire 41 3.18x
Derbyshire 39 0.71x
Essex 39 0.56x
Lincolnshire 37 0.66x
Cumberland 30 1.00x
Hampshire 23 0.32x
Perthshire 22 1.40x
Dunbartonshire 19 2.02x
Suffolk 19 0.45x
Devon 18 0.25x
Midlothian 16 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 15 0.32x
Renfrewshire 15 0.55x
Bedfordshire 13 0.72x
Caernarfonshire 12 0.85x
Cambridgeshire 12 0.54x
East Lothian 11 2.37x
Glamorgan 11 0.18x
Northumberland 10 0.19x
Shropshire 10 0.33x
Denbighshire 9 0.68x
Gloucestershire 9 0.13x
Monmouthshire 9 0.36x
Somerset 9 0.16x
Hertfordshire 8 0.33x
Ayrshire 7 0.27x
Channel Islands 6 0.58x
Northamptonshire 6 0.18x
Dorset 5 0.22x
Roxburghshire 4 0.63x
Royal Navy 4 0.96x
Berwickshire 3 0.71x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.14x
Fife 3 0.14x
Flintshire 3 0.32x
Isle of Man 3 0.46x
Kincardineshire 3 0.70x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 0.59x
Sussex 3 0.05x
Worcestershire 3 0.07x
Argyllshire 2 0.21x
Cardiganshire 2 0.23x
Cornwall 2 0.05x
Oxfordshire 2 0.09x
Anglesey 1 0.16x
Berkshire 1 0.04x
Herefordshire 1 0.07x
Inverness-shire 1 0.10x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.09x
Wigtownshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 210 Kennys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.33x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 210 8.33x
Manchester 117 6.27x
Leeds 69 3.53x
Salford 64 5.24x
Toxteth Park 63 4.48x
Birmingham 55 1.87x
Barony 50 1.75x
Sheffield 47 4.26x
Dewsbury 46 12.94x
West Derby 46 3.79x
Great Bolton 42 7.64x
Chorlton On Medlock 40 6.07x
Dundee 35 2.89x
Everton 35 2.65x
Oldham 33 2.46x
Preston 33 2.97x
St Marylebone London 33 1.77x
Castleton 32 7.72x
Kirkdale 32 4.58x
Aston 29 1.19x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 29 6.43x
Cambusnethan 28 11.14x
Hulme 28 3.23x
Stockton On Tees 28 5.58x
Spotland 26 5.63x
Kensington London 24 1.23x
Mile End Old Town London 24 3.22x
Wigan 24 4.14x
St Pancras London 23 0.82x
Warrington 23 4.67x
Birkenhead 22 3.57x
Bootle Cum Linacre 22 6.67x
Huddersfield 22 4.36x
Leicester St Margaret 22 2.33x
Stirling 22 13.52x
Stockport 22 5.54x
Blackburn 21 1.90x
Glasgow 21 1.05x
Newton In Makerfield 21 16.52x
Ashton Under Lyne 20 2.20x
Bury 20 4.22x
Heap 20 9.08x
West Ham 20 1.31x
Burslem 19 5.62x
Lambeth 19 0.62x
Govan 18 0.64x
Bromley London 17 2.21x
Holy Trinity 17 2.04x
Westminster St James 17 4.73x
Worsbrough 17 16.74x
Battersea 16 1.24x
Cosby 16 133.11x
Widnes 16 5.34x
Barton Upon Irwell 15 4.80x
Framwellgate 15 24.33x
Glossop Dale 15 5.85x
St Luke London 15 2.67x
Cheetham 14 4.52x
Plymouth St Andrew 14 2.50x
Dukinfield 13 3.64x
Linthorpe 13 6.28x
Wardleworth 13 5.48x
Hackney London 12 0.61x
Newton Upon Ouse 12 169.49x
South Mimms 12 25.02x
Camberwell 11 0.49x
Chelsea London 11 1.04x
Clayton Le Moors 11 13.66x
Deptford St Paul 11 1.19x
Islington London 11 0.32x
Kirby Knowle 11 802.92x
Millom 11 11.92x
St George In East London 11 3.34x
Wednesbury 11 3.73x
Whetstone 11 77.46x
Barnsley 10 2.80x
Hutton Henry 10 45.64x
Padiham 10 9.97x
Selby 10 13.80x
Spittlegate 10 12.92x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Kenny surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 359
Elizabeth 105
Margaret 101
Bridget 88
Ann 79
Catherine 74
Sarah 61
Ellen 60
Annie 44
Jane 41
Eliza 33
Kate 24
Alice 21
Emily 21
Anne 20
Emma 20
Agnes 18
Maria 17
Julia 15
Hannah 14
Fanny 13
Rose 13
Martha 12
Charlotte 11
Lucy 11
Theresa 10
Ada 8
Louisa 8
Edith 7
Eleanor 7
Esther 7
Jessie 7
Rebecca 7
Amelia 6
Margret 6
Susan 6
Elizth. 5
Florence 5
Margt. 5
Winifred 5
Caroline 4
Eliz. 4
Harriet 4
Honora 4
Katherine 4
Lizzie 4
Phoebe 4
Frances 3
Minnie 3
Rosa 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Kenny surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 305
James 167
Thomas 152
William 123
Patrick 110
Michael 97
Edward 53
Joseph 50
Charles 38
George 34
Robert 28
Henry 27
Martin 24
Peter 23
Francis 20
Daniel 16
Alfred 14
Andrew 13
Frederick 12
Richard 11
Walter 11
Samuel 9
Albert 8
Arthur 8
David 7
Hugh 7
Jas. 7
Thos. 7
Wm. 7
Bernard 6
Dennis 6
Herbert 6
Alexander 5
Christopher 5
Ernest 5
Frank 5
Nicholas 5
Patk. 5
Jeremiah 4
Laurence 4
Lawrence 4
Matthew 4
Michl. 4
Pat 4
Timothy 4
Tom 4
Bartholomew 3
Luke 3
Mark 3
Simon 3

FAQ

Kenny surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kenny surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,596 people were recorded with the Kenny surname. That placed it at #1,256 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kenny surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 10,778 in 2016. That gives Kenny a modern rank of #602.

What does the Kenny surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Cionnaith," meaning "descendant of Cionnaith" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

What does the Kenny map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Kenny bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.