Kenny is a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

, a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an

Anglicisation Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". It was once popular in the 16th-century in Leinster,

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

, parts of Connacht and in County Tyrone in Ulster, and was Anglicised as O'Kenna, O'Kenny, O'Kinney, Kenna, Kenny, and Kinney amongst other variations. One bearer of the name was

Cainnech of Aghaboe Cainnech of Aghaboe (515/16–600), also known as Saint Canice in Ireland, Saint Kenneth in Scotland, Saint Kenny and in Latin Sanctus Canicus, was an Irish abbot, monastic founder, priest and missionary during the early medieval period. Cainne ...

, better known in English as Saint Canice - a sixth-century Irish priest and missionary from near

Dungiven Dungiven () is a small town, townland and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the main A6 Belfast to Derry road, which bypasses the town. It lies where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg meet at the foot of the B ...

, after whom the city and county of

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

is also named. The Irish form ''Cill Chainnigh'' means "Church of Canice". It is thought that the ''Ó Cionnaith'' sept was part of the

Uí Maine U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pro ...

kingdom, based in Connacht. Within this area, the name is associated traditionally with counties Galway and Roscommon. Kenny is ranked at number 76 in the list of the most common surnames in Ireland. Other spellings include O'Kenny, Kenney, Kennie, Kinnie and Kinny. The given name, Kenny, is most often used as a short form of the name Kenneth and a diminutive form of Ken.

Given name

(515/516–600), also known as Saint Kenny, Irish saint, abbot, monastic founder, priest and missionary *

Kenny Adeleke Andrew Kehinde "Kenny" Adeleke (born February 10, 1983) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who has played 12 seasons in the NBA, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In 2006–07 he was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball P ...

(born 1983), Nigerian basketball player * Kenny Anderson (basketball) (born 1970), retired basketball player *

Kenny Athiu Kenjok "Kenny" Athiu (born 5 August 1992) is a South Sudanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Cambodian Premier League club Visakha and the South Sudan national football team. Club career Youth Athiu joined South Springvale SC ...

, association footballer * Kenny Baker (English actor) (1934–2016), English actor, best known to portray R2-D2 in the

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

franchise. * Kenny Ball (1930–2013), English jazz musician * Kenny Bell (born 1992), American football player * Kenny Bernstein (born 1944), NHRA driver * Kenny Black (born 1963), Scottish footballer * Kenny Booker, American basketball player * Kenny Bräck (born 1966), former Swedish IndyCar driver * Kenny Chesney (born 1968), American country music singer, songwriter and record producer * Kenny Clarke (1914–1985), American jazz drummer and bandleader *

Kenny Dalglish Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. During his career, he made 338 appearances for Celtic F.C., Celtic and 515 for Liverpoo ...

, Scottish soccer player and manager * Kenny Delmar (1910–1984), American actor and voice artist *

Kenny Dillingham Kenny Dillingham (born April 28, 1990) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Arizona State University. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Oregon, Florida State University, Auburn ...

(born 1990), American football coach *

Kenny Dykstra Kenneth George Doane (born March 16, 1986) is an American retired professional wrestler signed to WWE as a producer and as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. During his past time in WWE, he was known as Kenny Dykstra and Kenny as a member ...

, American professional wrestler *

Kenny Easley Kenneth Mason Easley Jr. (born January 15, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a strong safety in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins ...

, American football player * Kenny Easterday (1973–2016), American man with sacral agenesis, known as "Man with half a body" * Kenny Edwards (rugby league) (born 1989), New Zealand Rugby League player * Kenny Everett (1944–1995), English disc-jockey and comedian * Kenny Fields (born 1962), American basketball player * Kenny Golladay (born 1993), American football player *

Kenny Håkansson Kenny Håkansson is a Swedish musician, best known as the bassist for the Hellacopters. The Hellacopters were founded by Håkansson's childhood friend Nicke Andersson as a side project to his role as a drummer in the heavy metal band Entombed. ...

, Swedish musician * Kenny Heitz (1947–2012), American basketball player * Kenny Hotz, Canadian filmmaker and star of ''Kenny vs. Spenny'' * Kenny Hughes, actor, dancer, director and writer *

Kenny Irwin Jr. Kenneth Dale Irwin Jr. (August 5, 1969 – July 7, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver. He had driven in all three NASCAR national touring series, and had two total victories, both in the Craftsman Truck Series (today Camping World Truck ...

, former NASCAR driver * Kenny Jackett, English football player and manager *

Kenny W. James , or King Koopa, is a fictional character, the primary antagonist in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. In Japan, the character bears the title of . Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa race. Despite ...

, American voice actor * Kenny Kadji (born 1988), Cameroonian basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

* Kenny Koplove, American baseball player * Kenny Lawler (born 1994), American football player * Kenny Layne (born 1981), American professional wrestler known also by ring-name Kenny King * Kenny Liu, member of Mandopop boy band Top Combine * Kenny Lofton, baseball outfielder * Kenny Loggins (born 1948), American singer and songwriter * Kenny Lowe, English football manager *

Kenny Mayne Kenny Mayne (born ) is an American sports media personality who is best known for his work on ESPN from 1994 to 2021. He appeared as host of ''Kenny Mayne's Wider World of Sports'' on ESPN.com, and he appeared as a weekly contributor to ''Sund ...

, American sports journalist * Kenny Middlemiss (born 1964), Scottish badminton player * Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer *

Kenny Moore Kenneth Clark Moore (December 1, 1943 – May 4, 2022) was an American Olympic road running athlete and journalist. He ran the marathon at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth at the latter. Early life Moore was born in Portland ...

, American athlete * Kenny Moore (American football), American football player * Kenny O'Dell (1944–2018), American country music singer and songwriter * Kenny Okoro, American football player * Kenny Omega (born 1982), ring name of Canadian-born professional wrestler Tyson Smith * Kenny Ortega (born 1950), film director and producer * Kenny Perry, American professional golfer * Kenny Price (1931–1987), American country music singer-songwriter * Kenny Roberts, former motorcycle racer * Kenny Robinson, multiple people * Kenny Rogers (1938–2020), American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer * Kenny Sebastian, Indian comedian *

Kenny Stucker Kenny Stucker (born June 11, 1970) is a former American football placekicker who played seven seasons in the Arena Football League with the Milwaukee Mustangs, Chicago Rush, New York Dragons and Tampa Bay Storm. He played college football at B ...

, (born 1970) American football player *

Kenny Taylor (basketball) Kenny Bernard Taylor (born December 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player for the Akita Northern Happinets of the Japanese bj league. He played college basketball for Baylor University and University of Texas. College s ...

, (born 1992) basketball player for the Akita Northern Happinets of Japan *

Kenny Tran Phuong "Kenny" Tran is a Vietnamese American professional poker player from Arcadia, California who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. Tran was born in Vietnam and gives 10% of his winnings t ...

, a professional Vietnamese American poker player *

Kenny Vaccaro Kenneth Dwayne Vaccaro (born February 15, 1991) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League and founder and CEO of the Gamers First organization. They have teams in '' Halo'' and other major Esport titles. He ...

(born 1991), American football player * Kenny Wallace (born 1974), American NASCAR driver * Kenny Washington (basketball), American basketball player and coach *

Kenny Willekes Kenny Willekes (born July 22, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State. Early years Willekes attended NorthPointe Christian High Sc ...

(born 1997), American football player *

Kenny Wooten Kenneth Wooten Jr. (born April 17, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. Early life and high school career Wooten was born and grew up in S ...

(born 1998), American basketball player *

Kenny Yeboah Kenneth Yeboah (born October 30, 1998) is an American football tight end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Temple and Ole Miss. Early years Yeboah was born in Providence, Rhode Island. ...

(born 1998), American football player * Kenny Young (American football) (born 1994) American football player

Surname

Anthony Kenny Sir Anthony John Patrick Kenny (born 16 March 1931) is a British philosopher whose interests lie in the philosophy of mind, ancient and scholastic philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of Wittgenstein of whose literary esta ...

(born 1931), English philosopher * Bernard Kenny (born 1946), American politician *

Bill Kenny (Australian footballer) William John Kenny (30 July 1897 – 29 December 1978) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Aust ...

(born 1897), Australian rules footballer * Bill Kenny (English footballer), played at least one season in the American Soccer League * Bill Kenny (singer) (1914–1978), African-American singer with The Ink Spots * Brett Kenny, Australian rugby league footballer *

Brian Kenny (disambiguation) Brian Kenny may refer to: *Brian Kenny (artist) (born 1982), American multimedia artist *Brian Kenny (British Army officer) (1934–2017), British Army General *Brian Kenny (politician), Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswi ...

* Charles Kenny (1898–1992), American composer and lyricist *

Charles Kenny (cricketer) Charles John Michael Kenny (19 May 1929 – 9 September 1996) was an English cricketer active from 1950 to 1962 who played for Cambridge University and Essex. Kenny was born in Wallington, Surrey and died in Chiddingfold. He appeared in 40 firs ...

(1929–96), English * David Kenny (disambiguation) * Enda Kenny (born 1951), Irish politician, leader of Fine Gael and Taoiseach * Enda Kenny (singer), Irish-born Australian folksinger and songwriter * Elizabeth Kenny (1880–1952), unaccredited Australian nurse whose controversial treatment of polio victims became the foundation of physical therapy * Gerard Kenny, British-based American composer, pianist and singer * Henry Kenny (1913–1975), Irish politician and Gaelic footballer * Henry Kenny (Australian politician) (1853–1899) * Henry Edward Kenny (1888–1979), British soldier awarded the Victoria Cross *

J. E. Kenny Joseph Edward Kenny (1845 – 9 April 1900) was an Irish physician, Coroner of the City of Dublin, nationalist politician and Member of Parliament (MP). In the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, he was an Iris ...

, Irish politician *

James Kenny (photographer) James Kenny is a professional photographer based in the United Kingdom, best known for his fashion, celebrity portrait, and documentary work. Biography Kenny was born and raised in Cambridgeshire, where he studied Photography and Journalism wi ...

, British photographer * James C. Kenny, former US ambassador to Ireland * Jason Kenny (born 1988), English cyclist * Jon Kenny, Irish comedian and actor * Laura Kenny (born 1992), British track and road cyclist *

Lawrence Kenny Laurence J. Kenny (not Father Lawrence Kenny (August 19, 1896 - January 1977) Father Laurence J. Kenny (October 12, 1864 Zaleski, Vinton County, OH, - December 28, 1958 Lemay, St. Louis County, MO), the son of Thomas Kenny and Margaret Hayes both ...

, Catholic priest and exorcist *

Mark Kenny Marc Kenny (born 17 September 1973) is an Irish former footballer. Kenny was captain of the Home Farm schoolboys team that got into the Guinness Book of Records for going six seasons without a defeat. A Republic of Ireland national under-17 ...

, former Irish footballer * Matthew Joseph Kenny, Irish politician from Clare * Maurice Kenny (born 1929), Mohawk poet *

Mecury Kenny Mecury Kenny (born 28 November 1979) is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. An all-rounder, he is a right-arm off break bowler and a right-handed batsman. He played nine first-class matches for Matabeleland in the Logan Cup The Logan Cup is t ...

(born 1979), Zimbabwean cricketer * Michael Kenny (disambiguation), includes some Michaels better known as Mick or Mike *

Mick Kenny (Kilkenny hurler) Michael Kenny (1925 – January 2003) was an Irish former sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Graigue–Ballycallan and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the 1950s. With Kilkenny Walsh won an All-Ireland ...

(died 2003) * Mike Kenny (writer), British playwright * Nick Kenny (poet) (1895–1975), US columnist, lyricist & poet * Nick Kenny (rugby league), Australian rugby league player *

Paddy Kenny Patrick Joseph Kenny (born 17 May 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Kenny began his career with Bradford Park Avenue before turning professional in the summer of 1998 upon ...

, British-born Irish footballer * Paddy Kenny (hurler), Irish hurler * Pat Kenny (born 1948), Irish broadcaster * Seán Kenny (hurler), Irish hurler *

Stephen Kenny (footballer) Stephen Kenny (born 30 October 1971) is an Irish football manager and former player who is currently manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team. He has formerly managed Longford Town, Bohemians, Derry City, Dunfermline Athletic, ...

, Irish football manager * Tom Kenny (born 1962), American voice actor and comedian best-known as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants * Tom Kenny (hurler), Irish hurler *

William Kenny (disambiguation) William Kenny may refer to: *William Kenny (Irish politician) (1846–1921), Irish lawyer, judge and politician *William Kenny (VC) (1880–1936), recipient of the Victoria Cross *William David Kenny (1889–?), Irish recipient of the Victoria Cros ...

Fictional characters

* Kenny (''Beyblade''), in the anime and manga series ''Beyblade'' * Kenny (''Tomorrow People''), in the 1970s science fiction series ''The Tomorrow People'' * Kenny Ackerman, a character from ''

Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as ...

'' * Kenny Chang, in the British web series '' Corner Shop Show''. * Kenny McCormick, a character from the TV series ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'' *

Kenny Powers (character) Kenny Powers is a fictional world famous baseball player in the HBO television comedy series '' Eastbound & Down'', played by Danny McBride. He is portrayed as a once dominant baseball pitcher, whose poor work ethic, ego, and short temper jeopardi ...

, the protagonist of the HBO series ''Eastbound and Down'' * Kenny Rossmore, a character in the 2013 American crime comedy movie '' We're the Millers'' *

Kenny Smyth ''Kenny'' is a 2006 Australian mockumentary film starring Shane Jacobson as Kenny Smyth, a Melbourne plumber who works for a portable toilet rental company. The film was followed by the television series Kenny's World. Director Clayton Jacobs ...

, a corporate bathroom plumber in the 2006 film ''Kenny'' * Kenny Wangler, an African-American drug addict in the HBO drama ''Oz'' * Kenny, in the movie '' Let Me In'' * Kenny, in the episodic video game series '' The Walking Dead: Season One'' * Kenny the Shark, from ''

Kenny the Shark ''Kenny the Shark'' is an American animated television series produced by Discovery Kids. The series was first premiered on Discovery Kids' Saturday morning block on NBC on November 1, 2003, and ended with the last episode on February 19, 2005. S ...

'' * Kenny (Kouji), from '' Stitch!''

References

* Genealogies of Kenny and Lysaght by Cecil Stacpoole Kenny 1915, NLI, Dublin, Ireland {{given name, type=both English masculine given names English-language surnames Masculine given names Hypocorisms Surnames of Irish origin Anglicised Irish-language surnames

Given name

Surname

Fictional characters

See also

References