Kenan

Meaning: Possession or smith
Origin: Hebrew — The name of a patriarch in Genesis · biblical

Origin: Turkish (from Arabic) — Canaan, the biblical region

Boy's name · #1148 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

Popularity over time

Kenan reached its best rank, #970, in 1997 and ranked #1148 in 2025. Roughly 4,600 boys have been named Kenan since 1947.

Across the states

See where Kenan is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 12 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Kenan ranks in other countries and regions.

#47 in Bosnia (FBiH) (2025) · #184 in Slovenia (2025) · #241 in Austria (2025) · #268 in France (2025) · #280 in Belgium (2025) · #329 in Sweden (2025) · #391 in Switzerland (2025) · #466 in Norway (2025) · #475 in Netherlands (2025) · #633 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,290 in England & Wales (2025) · #646 in Canada (2024).

Famous Kenans

Kenan Evren — President of Turkey (1917–2015)
Kenan Yıldız — Turkish association football player (born 2005)
Kenan Thompson — American comedian and actor (born 1978)
Kenan İmirzalıoğlu — Turkish actor and fashion model (born 1974)
Kenan Karaman — Turkish association football player (born 1994)

In stories & tradition

Kenan — Book of Jubilees (Bible)

What Kenans become

Among 202 notable people named Kenan:

Sports figures appear 2.23× more often than among typical names — e.g. Kenan Yıldız, Turkish association football player (born 2005).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Keenan (#1307), Kenan would rank around #769 with about 330 births last year — the newborns split about 55/45 between Kenan and Keenan.

Similar names: Bilal · Kenai · Khalid · Adnan · Osman · Canaan

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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