Kenneth

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkɛ.nəθ/

Etymology

Anglicized form of two Gaelic names, Cinaed "born of fire", name of Scottish kings, and the saint's name Cainnech "handsome" , as in the surname MacKenzie.

Proper noun

Kenneth

1. A male given name, originally used in Scotland, popular in all English-speaking countries in the 20th century.
   • 1825 Sir Walter Scott: The Talisman. Chapter III:

     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 0670879274 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. - - -

Related terms

• Ken
• Kenny

References

Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges: A Concise Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press 2001

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Danish

Etymology

From English Kenneth in the end of the 19th century.

Proper noun

Kenneth

1. A male given name.

Related terms

• Ken, Kent

References

• [1] 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.

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Norwegian

Etymology

From English Kenneth in c. 1900.

Proper noun

Kenneth

1. A male given name.

Related terms

• Ken, Kent

References

• Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, ISBN 82-521-4483-7
• [2] 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.

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Swedish

Alternative forms

• Kennet

Etymology

From English Kenneth. First recorded as a given name in Sweden in 1898.

Proper noun

Kenneth

1. A male given name borrowed from English.

Related terms

• Kenny, Kent, Kenth

References

• Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, ISBN 91-21-10937-0
• [3] Statistiska centralbyrån and Sture Allén, Staffan Wåhlin, Förnamnsboken, Norstedts 1995, ISBN 9119551622: 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.