Kent

♂ Boy

Pronounced KENT /ˈkɛnt/Medium

Meaning: From the county of Kent, a Celtic-derived place name possibly meaning 'coast' or 'border'.Medium

In 30 seconds: Kent comes from the English county of the same name, a Celtic-derived place name that may mean 'coast' or 'border'. It is short, sturdy, and tied to the southeastern corner of England.

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Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningFrom the county of Kent, a Celtic-derived place name possibly meaning 'coast' or 'border'.

U.S. rank (2025)#1659 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births101 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1962

Total births (all-time)≈ 69,326

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

The name began as the place name Kent, whose roots reach back to a Celtic word possibly meaning 'coast' or 'border'. From the county it passed into use as a surname and then a given name. Its exact original sense is not fully settled, but the geographic link is clear.

A single clipped syllable, Kent has a clean mid-century feel that pairs neatly with many surnames. It belongs to the family of English place-and-surname names that crossed into first-name use.

Did you know? Kent likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.

Overall data confidence 78%

Behind the Name - Kent — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

★Kent Hovind (1953-)
American young Earth creationist and Christian fundamentalist
★Kent Nagano (1951-)
American conductor and orchestra director
★Kent Beck (1961-)
American software engineer who created extreme programming

If you like Kent…

Trent— Another short English place name turned given name, rhyming closely with Kent.

Dean— A one-syllable English surname-and-place name with the same crisp feel as Kent.

Brent— An English place-derived name that shares Kent's sound and structure.

Grant— A short, sturdy English surname name comparable to Kent in tone.

Reed— A compact English topographic surname name akin to Kent's place-name roots.

Explore names like Kent

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Kent mean?

Kent is usually explained as meaning 'border, edge, coast' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Kent?

It's commonly said KENT /ˈkɛnt/.

Is Kent a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Kent is used as a boy name.

How popular is Kent?

In 2024, Kent ranked #1631 in the U.S. for boys, with 104 births recorded.