Kendrick

About Kendrick

Kendrick is an English given name taken from a surname with several possible origins. Old English royal and ruling names, Welsh Cynwrig and a Gaelic patronymic all contribute to its history. Rapper Kendrick Lamar gives the name a major contemporary musical association, while its two-syllable form has been used in America for generations.

A surname with several roots

One route to Kendrick is through Old English Cyneric, combining elements meaning “royal” and “ruler” or “king.” Another is Cenric, which joins “bold” to the ruling element. These similar early names contribute different meanings to the surname.

The surname can also connect with Welsh Cynwrig. That name contains elements meaning “first” or “chief” and “man,” with a suffix indicating a quality. It is a separate linguistic formation from the Old English names, despite their later resemblance in English.

A further route is the Gaelic surname Mac Eanraig, meaning “son of Henry.” Kendrick can be an English rendering of that family name. With these different histories behind the spelling, a single translation such as “royal ruler” describes only one branch.

Kenrick is a related spelling, and Kendra is a feminine form. The older Cenric, Cyneric and Cynwrig explain the surname's background, while Kendrick is the form familiar in modern English first-name use.

Kendrick Lamar and the Pulitzer Prize

Kendrick Lamar's album DAMN. was released in April 2017 and received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Its recognition brought rap into a prize tradition more often associated with other kinds of American musical composition.

The album builds a sequence of sharply drawn accounts of contemporary African American life. Lamar's storytelling and the relationship between individual experience and a wider community were central to the work's recognition.

DAMN. also won Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. The Pulitzer and Grammy therefore recognized the same recording in two different award settings, giving Kendrick an unusually prominent connection with contemporary American music.

The name itself is Lamar's given name, used as part of his public identity rather than replaced by a separate stage name. Its visibility in album credits, performances and awards has made Kendrick familiar to listeners far beyond its earlier surname use.

Another modern bearer

Basketball player Kendrick Perkins was Boston's starting centre during the Celtics' 2008 NBA championship season.

Pronunciation and shorter forms

Kendrick is pronounced KEN-drik, with two syllables and stress at the beginning. The DR consonants join the two parts of the name, and the final K gives it a clipped ending.

Ken could serve as an informal shortening. Kenrick removes the D from the spelling, while Kendra preserves much of the opening in a feminine form. The full Kendrick is already short enough to be used without a nickname.

American popularity

Kendrick's strongest American boys' year was 2013, when 1,047 births placed it at #318. There had been 518 births in 2000 and 500 in 2010. In 2025, 559 boys received the name, putting it at #535. Its American record therefore includes both a longer-established presence and a more recent high point.

How popular is Kendrick?

In 2025, Kendrick ranked #535 among boys in the United States, with 559 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1912; its largest annual count was 1,047 in 2013. 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.