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Kenneth. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Kenneth, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Kenneth in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Kenneth you have here. The definition of the word
Kenneth will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
Kenneth, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Anglicized form of two Goidelic names, Old Irish Cináed, the name of Scottish kings derived from Pictish *ᚉᚔᚅᚔᚑᚇ (Ciniod), and the saint's name Cainnech (literally “handsome”) (modern Scottish Gaelic Coinneach), as in the surname Mackenzie.
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Kenneth (countable and uncountable, plural Kenneths)
- A male given name from Scottish Gaelic, originally used in Scotland, popular in all English-speaking countries in the 20th century.
1825, Sir Walter Scott, chapter III, in The Talisman:Know, however, that among the soldiers of the Cross I am called Kenneth - Kenneth of the Couching Leopard; at home I have other titles, but they would sound harsh in an Eastern ear.
- 1998 Barbara Vine ( Ruth Rendell ): The Chimney Sweeper's Boy. →ISBN page 166:
- "The other one, his name was Kenneth, was born in February nineteen twenty-one."
- "All these Kens," she said.
- "As you say. It must have been the sexy name. These days Kens are all Chinese cooks. - - -
- A surname from Scottish Gaelic.
Translations
Statistics
- According to the 2010 United States Census, Kenneth is the 35582nd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 632 individuals. Kenneth is most common among White (55.7%), Black/African American (17.56%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (14.72%) individuals.
References
- Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges: A Concise Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press 2001
Further reading
Cebuano
Etymology
From English Kenneth, from Scottish Gaelic.
Proper noun
Kenneth
- a male given name from English
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:Kenneth.
Danish
Etymology
From English Kenneth at the end of the 19th century.
Proper noun
Kenneth
- a male given name
References
- Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 16 673 males with the given name Kenneth have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 1970s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.
Norwegian
Etymology
From English Kenneth in c. 1900.
Proper noun
Kenneth
- a male given name
References
- Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, →ISBN
- Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 9 392 males with the given name Kenneth living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak in the 1980s. Accessed on 19 May, 2011.
Swedish
Etymology
From English Kenneth. First recorded as a given name in Sweden in 1898.
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Kenneth c (genitive Kenneths)
- a male given name borrowed from English
References
- Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, →ISBN
- Statistiska centralbyrån and Sture Allén, Staffan Wåhlin, Förnamnsboken, Norstedts 1995, →ISBN: 27 379 males with the given name Kenneth living in Sweden on December 31st, 2010, with the frequency peak in the 1950s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.