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Name Origin

Kenneth is a masculine given name of Scottish origin. It is derived from the Gaelic elements 'Coinneach' meaning 'born of fire' or 'handsome' and 'Mac' meaning 'son'. Therefore, Kenneth traditionally means 'handsome son', 'fiery one', or 'son of fire'.

scottishgaelicmasculinefirehandsomeson

Famous People

Kenneth Branagh (1960-)

Actor, director, producer

  • Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Actor
  • Knight Bachelor

Kenneth Arrow (1921-2017)

Economist

  • Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1972)
  • Key contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory

Kenneth Lay (1942-2006)

Businessman

  • Founded Enron Corporation
  • Convicted of fraud and conspiracy related to Enron's collapse

Kenneth Clarke (1940-)

Politician

  • Served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK
  • Long-standing Conservative Member of Parliament

Kenneth Cole

Fashion designer

  • Founded Kenneth Cole Productions, a fashion and footwear company

Kenneth E. Iverson (1920-2014)

Computer Scientist

  • Created the APL programming language

Kenneth Koch (1925-2002)

Poet

  • Prominent figure in the New York School of Poets

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