Kendall

Meaning and origin

Kendall is an English surname name connected with Kendal, the town in northern England. Its meaning is “valley on the River Kent.” The river name is joined to Old English dæl, meaning “valley” or “dale,” giving the name a specific geographical origin.

The surname preserved that place connection before Kendall became a given name. Its final syllable belongs to the same old landscape vocabulary seen in the English word dale. Kent supplies the river element, rather than a separate meaning such as “spring.”

Kendal is a closely related surname spelling and also the spelling of the town. Kendall adds a second l at the end. Both forms retain the link between a river and its valley, a more particular story than a general association with English countryside.

Pronunciation and use

Kendall is usually pronounced KEN-duhl, with two syllables and the stress on the first. The opening Ken- is clear and strongly stressed, while the second syllable is lighter. The doubled final l does not add another syllable.

It was originally used chiefly as a masculine given name, but it has also become well established for girls. Television helped bring the feminine use to wider attention: the character Kendall Hart appeared in the American soap opera All My Children in 1993.

Its surname background and use for both sexes are central to its modern identity. The same spelling can therefore appear in different generations and naming traditions without requiring a separate feminine ending.

Kendall Coyne Schofield and ice hockey

Ice hockey player Kendall Coyne Schofield gives the name a prominent sporting connection. At Northeastern University, she received the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Award, the leading individual honor in American women’s college hockey. Her college career included helping Northeastern reach its first NCAA tournament.

She went on to win Olympic gold with the United States at PyeongChang in 2018. At Beijing in 2022, she captained the American team that won silver. These international appearances made her part of the long-running Olympic rivalry between the United States and Canada.

In 2019, Coyne Schofield became the first woman to participate in the NHL All-Star Skills competition. Entering the fastest-skater event, she finished seventh among eight competitors. That appearance brought the speed of the women’s game onto a stage normally reserved for NHL players and became another notable moment in her career.

Popularity in the United States

For American girls, Kendall’s peak came in 2012, with 2,625 births and a rank of number 116. It ranked number 147 in 2015 and number 328 in 2025.

For boys, its strongest year was 1993, with 965 births and a rank of number 287. It ranked number 1,232 for boys in 2025. The figures show both its established masculine history and its more frequent recent use for girls.

How popular is Kendall?

In 2025, Kendall ranked #328 among girls in the United States, with 932 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1929; its largest annual count was 2,625 in 2012. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.