Kennedy is an Irish surname, in Gaelic Ó Cinnéide, usually explained as "helmeted head" from ceann, head, and éidigh, armored or ugly. In the United States it is inseparable from President John F. Kennedy, and parents began using it for daughters in the 1990s. Kennedy stood at number 139 in 2000, has ranked in the top 100 since 2011, peaked at number 54 in 2014 and sits at number 85 in 2025.