Origins of the Kennedy surname

What does the name Kennedy mean?

The Kennedy surname originates in Scotland and Ireland. It is believed to be an anglicisation of the Gaelic name 'O Cinneide', and refers to a 'descendant of someone named Cinnedidh'. There are two large independent Kennedy families that are hypothesised to be unrelated. The Irish Kennedies are a royal dynasty stemming from the father of the high king of Ireland Brian Boru, the Scottish Kennedies are a lowland family who have played a pivotal part in Scottish history.

Alternative variations of the name Kennedy

Kennedy, Kenedy, Kennedie, Kennety, Kennady

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Delve deeper into the Kennedy family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 1630North West 463Isle of Man 19Yorkshire 1050East Midlands 124West Midlands 268East 325London 3582South East 774South West 319South Wales 62Mid Wales 11West WalesNorth Wales 37Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Kennedys lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

150,000 Kennedy Travel & migration records
150,000 Kennedys found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Kennedy

How common is your surname?

209th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Kennedy surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

Who were Kennedys most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Kennedys.

What are the most common Kennedy first names?

John

James

Mary

Margaret

Our tell us the names of Kennedy family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Kennedys

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Kennedys in 1921

Domestic Servant

666

Dressmaker

657

Housekeeper

473

General Servant

340

Laundress

331

Common male occupations for Kennedys in 1921

Coal Miner

818

General Labourer

812

Tailor

541

Joiner

375

Shoemaker

369

We found over 240,000 family trees with the Kennedy surname

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