The Kenny surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 17,429 people carried this name — #2,077 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 16,900 people counted. That is up 4% from 16,811 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Kenny surname

A surname transferred from the given name.

From Kenneth or Ken + -y (diminutive form).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kenny» (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 216 births for the Kenny name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 9,600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 5 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 95
Connacht 71
Munster 31
Ulster 19

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 643 people named Kenny 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 map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 345
City of Buenos Aires 98
San Juan 55
La Pampa 45
Córdoba 34
Mendoza 23
Entre Ríos 17
Santa Fe 16

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

30 people named Kenny live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 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

Zurich 12
Vaud 7
Aargau 4
Zug 4
Geneva 3

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 27 people named Kenny.

Most of them — 22 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Alpes-Maritimes.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 22
Alpes-Maritimes 1
Bouches-du-Rhône 1
Loiret 1
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 1
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

33 people named Kenny is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 33

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).

In Scotland’s registers today

Kenny was recorded 47 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 555th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 54. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

182 families named Kenny, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,092 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 14 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 46
Massachusetts 29
Pennsylvania 22
New York 19
New Hampshire 17
Vermont 15
Maine 14
Virginia 11
North Carolina 5
Maryland 2
South Carolina 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 248 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Kenny in American newspapers,
1898–1921.

Newspaper page from The Hawaiian Gazette carrying the name Kenny
The Hawaiian Gazette 1899-03-03
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Kenny
Great Falls Tribune 1921-07-30
Newspaper page from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser carrying the name Kenny
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser 1898-05-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,274 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kenny in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

120,202 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kenny. The most, 22,879, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 41,905
Victoria 26,892
Queensland 23,277
South Australia 16,719
Western Australia 7,546
Tasmania 3,053
ACT (Canberra) 547
Northern Territory 108

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kenny.

Who carried it

People named Kenny,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Maria Beasley
    Maria Beasley 1836–1913 · businessperson
  • Joanna Kenny
    Joanna Kenny 1839–1908
  • William John Kenny
    William John Kenny 1853–1913 · Catholic priest
  • Michael Kenny
    Michael Kenny 1863–1946 · Catholic theologian
  • William Francis Kenny
    William Francis Kenny 1868–1951 · building contractor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 268 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kenny,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States9,545 records

9,545 records of the Kenny name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 3,827
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 2,876
  • Other U.S. records 2,842
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Henry Kenny

    Born 1946; from New York, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas F. Kenny

    Born 1908 in New York. Enlisted 1944 at Camp Upton Yaphank; roofer from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1979, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Kenny

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; servant. From Queenstown, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 9,545 records for Kenny in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,934 records

2,934 records of the Kenny name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,238
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 515
  • Other Australian records 1,181
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Kenny

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Mary Anne, sailing from Dublin in 1840. Native of Longford. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1843. Married 1844 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Rose Jane Kenny

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Anna Maria, sailing from London in 1851. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1856.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Garrett Patrick Kenny

    Died 1887 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 59. Will registered in Tasmania in 1887.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,934 records for Kenny in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada404 records

404 records of the Kenny name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 316
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 30
  • Other Canadian records 58
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt Kenny

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Serapis, landing at Quebec, bound for Brantford, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Edna Kenny

    Died 1990, aged 69; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Margaret Isobel Kenny

    Buried in 1995 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 76.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 404 records for Kenny in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom137 records

137 records of the Kenny name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 74
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 51
  • Other British records 12
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Kenny

    Buried in 1956 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 61.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Kenny

    Buried in 1813 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 61.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record James Kenny

    Private; died 1917. Named in the roll of honour, Arbroath and district, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 137 records for Kenny in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland108 records

108 records of the Kenny name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kate Kenny

    Died 1988, aged 87; buried at Glenamaddy (New), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Kenny

    Died 1940, aged 70; buried at Lackagh (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Kenny

    Died 1944, aged 45; buried at Clonburn, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 108 records for Kenny in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand51 records

51 records of the Kenny name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 22
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 20
  • Other New Zealand records 9
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Christopher Kenny

    Buried in 1943 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 77.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Susan Kenny

    Died 1907, aged 73; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Noreen Kenny

    Died 1969, aged 39; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 51 records for Kenny in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France4 records

4 records of the Kenny name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marie Kenny

    Born 1907 in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône); died 1982 in Gap (Hautes-Alpes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Margaret Kenny

    Born 1925 in Great Britain; died 1994 in Chabanais (Charente).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Kenny in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Kenny name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Thomas Aquinas Kenny

    Died 1957 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 65.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Kenny in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Kenny name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Anna Kenny

    Census of 1910: Dyrnessjøen (plads), Edø; born 1880 in Edø.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kenny.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kenny 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.

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