Explore the Family Name Kenny

The meaning of Kenny

Irish and Scottish: 1. Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Coinnigh ‘descendant of Coinneach’, an Old Irish personal name that later came to be treated as equivalent to Scottish Kenneth. This was borne by a 6th-century monk and saint who gave his name to the town of Kilkenny ‘church of Coinneach’. 2. Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Cionaodha ‘descendant of Cionaodh’, a personal name of unexplained etymology, likewise Anglicized as Kenneth. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Brendan, Liam, Declan, Dermot, Fergus, Caitlin, Clodagh, Colm, Eilis, Fergal, Finbarr, Finola.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Kenny in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Kenny" saw a slight decline from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 1972 in terms of prevalence and dropped to 2077 by 2010, marking a change of -5.32%. However, the count of people with this surname increased by 3.68%, from 16,811 individuals in 2000 to 17,429 in 2010. The proportion per 100k also decreased slightly, from 6.23 in 2000 to 5.91 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#1,972#2,077-5.32%
Count16,81117,4293.68%
Proportion per 100k6.235.91-5.14%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kenny

Regarding the ethnicity of the people bearing the Kenny surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates there was some fluctuation between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Asians/Pacific Islanders increased from 0.71% to 0.99%, and those identifying as two or more races rose from 1.10% to 1.52%. The percentage of white individuals declined slightly from 90.52% to 88.85%, just as the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a decrease from 0.61% to 0.60%. Both the Hispanic and Black categories experienced growth, with Hispanics increasing from 1.56% to 2.39% and Blacks moving from 5.50% to 5.66%.

20002010Change
White90.52%88.85%-1.84%
Black5.5%5.66%2.91%
Hispanic1.56%2.39%53.21%
Two or More Races1.1%1.52%38.18%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.71%0.99%39.44%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.61%0.6%-1.64%

Kenny ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Kenny is British & Irish, which comprises 62.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (12.7%) and Eastern European (6.0%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Chinese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish62.7%
French & German12.7%
Eastern European6.0%
Other18.6%
Kenny

Possible origins of the surname Kenny

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Kenny have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom87.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom87.90%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom87.90%
Greater London, United Kingdom87.90%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom87.70%

What Kenny haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Kenny is R-S660, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-S660 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-A260, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kenney, Flanagan, Kelly, Murray, Moran, Dillon, Kelley, Tierney, Obrien, Quinn.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Kenny surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

kennyPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Niall of the Nine Hostages

The spread of haplogroup R-M222 in northern Ireland and Scotland was likely aided by men like Niall of the Nine Hostages. Perhaps more myth than man, Niall is said to have been a King of Tara in northwestern Ireland in the late 4th century C.E. His name comes from a tale of nine hostages that he held from the regions he ruled over. Though the legendary stories of his life may have been invented hundreds of years after he died, genetic evidence suggests that the Uí Néill dynasty, whose name means "descendants of Niall," did in fact trace back to just one man who likely bore haplogroup R-M222, a branch of R-M269.The Uí Néill ruled to various degrees as kings of Ireland from the 7th to the 11th century C.E. In the highly patriarchal society of medieval Ireland, their status allowed them to have outsized numbers of children and spread their paternal lineage each generation. In fact, researchers have estimated that between 2 and 3 million men with roots in north-west Ireland are paternal-line descendants of Niall.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Kenny have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Kenny

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Kenny" Surname 41.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Kenny

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Kenny" Surname 24.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Kenny

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Kenny" Surname 16.8%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Kenny

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Kenny" Surname 14.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Kenny?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Kenny are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%