The Kennedy surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 176,865 people carried this name — #146 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,670 people counted. That is up 3% from 171,636 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Kennedy surname
Borrowed from Irish Ó Cinnéidigh (ceann (“head”) + éidigh (“ugly”)) or Scottish Gaelic Ceannaideach (ceann (“head”) + aideach (“ugly”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kennedy» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 446 births for the Kennedy name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 19,800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 10 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 299 people named Kennedy live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
148 people named Kennedy live in Switzerland.
They live in 11 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 107 people named Kennedy.
Most of them — 59 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 11 départements, most often Nord.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
54 people named Kennedy have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 163 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 10 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
279 people named Kennedy are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Kennedy in American newspapers,
1915.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,241,133 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Kennedy,
with a public archive behind them.
-
James Kennedy 1408–1465 · judge -
Walter Kennedy 1695–1721 · privateer -
Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis 1736–1794 -
Archibald Kennedy, 1st Marquess of Ailsa 1770–1846 · politician -
Archibald Kennedy, Earl of Cassilis 1794–1832 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 157 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Kennedy.
- Kempa 671 · U.S. census
- Kempen 731 · U.S. census
- Kempenich 207 · U.S. census
- Kempf 6,364 · U.S. census
- Kempfer 753 · U.S. census
- Kempff 107 · U.S. census
- Kennel 938 · U.S. census
- Keo 3,223 · U.S. census
- Kerber 3,535 · U.S. census
- Kerkhove 131 · U.S. census
- Kern 28,547 · U.S. census
- Kernen 548 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Kennedy is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.