Valley of the river Kent, or spring valley, in different place-name routes.
The exact source distinguishes Kendal in Cumbria from Kendale in Humberside and explicitly records surname-to-given-name transfer. The two place-name glosses are not collapsed into one.
Origin
English habitational surname, transferred to a given name
The entry records surname transfer from more than one place-name: Kendal in Cumbria and Kendale in Humberside. Their recorded roots differ, so a single literal meaning is not imposed.
English pronunciation
/ˈkɛndəl/
The source labels this IPA Canadian English.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Published name usage
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
Place
Year
Recorded usage
Published births
Rank
Notes
Canada
2025
Girls
29 · preliminary
935
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Canada
2025
Boys
7 · preliminary
2527
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France
2025
Girls
5 (rounded to 5)
6674
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
France
2023
Boys
5 (rounded to 5)
4605
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2025
Girls
29
1133
Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2016
Boys
3
4810
Historical source: not all years independently cross-checked. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland
2018
Girls
3
434
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland
2025
Girls
8
387
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland
2025
Girls
7
483
Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States
2025
Girls
932
328
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States
2025
Boys
163
1231
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Sources & notes
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Meaning: Valley of the river Kent, or spring valley, in different place-name routes.
Checked against cited source
The exact source distinguishes Kendal in Cumbria from Kendale in Humberside and explicitly records surname-to-given-name transfer. The two place-name glosses are not collapsed into one. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adaptation: language scope and exact-name evidence condensed by Rare Baby Names; no audio or images reused. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin: English habitational surname, transferred to a given name
Checked against cited source
The entry records surname transfer from more than one place-name: Kendal in Cumbria and Kendale in Humberside. Their recorded roots differ, so a single literal meaning is not imposed.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
English pronunciation: /ˈkɛndəl/
Checked against cited source
The source labels this IPA Canadian English.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.