Ken is a masculine given name of Japanese and Scottish Gaelic origin.
Gender | Male |
---|---|
Language(s) | English language, Japanese |
Origin | |
Word/name | Japanese, Scottish Gaelic |
Other names | |
Nickname(s) | Kenny |
Related names | Kenneth, Kendrick, Kendall, Kenan, Keenan, Keegan, Kevin, Kelvin, Kellan, Kenny, Can, Kayne, Kanye, Kahn, Dicken, Kennedy, Kenson, Kenta, Kent |
The Japanese given name is common among males. It can have many different meanings depending on the kanji used.
Ken is also a masculine given name of Scottish / Scottish Gaelic origin. It is used as a given name or as a short form of names with the letters "Ken" (like Kenneth, Kenan, Kendrick, Kendall, Kennedy, Mackenzie, Kenson, or Kenelm).
People
edit- Ken (musician) (born 1968), Japanese musician and member of the bands L'Arc-en-Ciel and Sons of All Pussys
- Ken Akamatsu (赤松 健, born 1968), Japanese author
- Ken Anderson (quarterback) (born 1949), American quarterback
- Ken Anderson (wrestler) (born 1976), American professional wrestler known under the ring name Mr. Kennedy
- Ken Barrie (1933–2016), English voice actor and singer
- Ken Block (disambiguation), multiple people
- Ken Bowersox (born 1956), astronaut
- Ken Bruce (born 1951), Scottish DJ
- Ken Buesseler (born 1959), American marine radiochemist
- Ken Burns (born 1953), American documentary filmmaker
- Ken Caillat (born 1946), American record producer
- Ken Caminiti (1963–2004), Major League Baseball player
- Ken Campbell (1941–2008), English writer, actor, and director
- Ken Campbell (evangelist) (1934–2006), Canadian evangelist
- Ken Carlson (born 1951), American politician
- Ken Casey, bassist of the Boston Irish punk rock group Dropkick Murphys
- Ken Chan (Filipino actor) (born 1993), Filipino actor
- Ken Christianson, California based artist and musician, with art collective Elephant Empire
- Ken Clark (actor) (1927–2009), American actor
- Ken Clouston, member of the Wyoming House of Representatives
- Ken Croken (born 1950), American politician
- Ken Davitian (born 1953), American film and TV actor
- Ken Dodd (1927–2018), English comedian and singer
- Ken Doherty (born 1969), Irish professional snooker player, commentator and radio presenter
- Ken Dyer (1946–2010), American football player
- Ken Dryden (born 1947), Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender
- Ken Flax (born 1963), American Olympic hammer thrower
- Ken Follett (born 1949), British author of thrillers and historical novels
- Ken Giles (born 1990), American baseball player
- Ken Griffey Sr. (born 1950), American baseball player
- Ken Griffey Jr. (born 1969), American baseball player
- Ken Ham (born 1951), Australian-born American creationist
- Ken Harrelson (born 1941), Major League Baseball player and broadcaster
- Ken Harris (1898–1982), American animator
- Ken Hendricks, billionaire (1941–2007), president of Hendricks Group
- Ken Hirai (平井 堅, born 1972), J-pop singer known for the hit songs "Hitomi wo Tojite" and "POP STAR"
- Ken Hoang (born 1985), American professional electronic sports player
- Ken Holtzman (born 1945), American Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ken Hon, American geologist and head of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
- Ken Horiuchi (堀内 健, born 1969), Japanese comedian
- Ken Hughes (1922–2001), writer and director of films, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- Ken Jennings (born 1974), contestant, executive producer and host of the game show Jeopardy!
- Ken Jeong (born 1969), American comedian, actor and former physician
- Ken Kelley (American football) (born 1960), American football player
- Ken Kelley (journalist) (1949–2008), American journalist and publisher
- Ken Keltner (1916–1991), American baseball player
- Ken Kesey (1935–2001), novelist, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Ken Kirby, Canadian-born actor and screenwriter
- Ken Klippenstein, American journalist
- Ken Kratz (born 1960–61), American lawyer, former district attorney of Calumet County, Wisconsin; law license was suspended for four months after sexting scandal
- Ken Kutaragi (born 1950), President and CEO, later Chairman, of Sony Computer Entertainment
- Ken Kwaku (born 1946), Ghanaian corporate governance expert
- Ken Lay (1942–2006), CEO and Chairman of Enron
- Ken Labanowski (born 1959), American-Israeli basketball player
- Ken Livingstone, politician (born 1945), former mayor of London, UK
- Ken Lloyd (born 1976), Japanese-British musician, vocalist and songwriter of Fake? and Oblivion Dust
- Ken Loach (born 1936), British film director
- Ken Lutz (born 1965), American football player
- Ken Matthews (disambiguation), multiple people
- Ken McAlister (born 1960), American football player
- Ken McCarthy (born 1959), American activist, educator, entrepreneur and Internet commercialization pioneer
- Ken McCarty (born 1958), American politician
- Ken MacLeod (born 1954), Scottish science fiction writer
- Ken McElroy (1934–1981), American unsolved murder victim and criminal
- Ken Messer (1931–2018), British painter
- Ken Miyagishima (born 1963), American mayor
- Ken Mizuno (水野 剣, born 1978), Japanese freestyle skier
- Ken Morrish (1919–2006), former mayor of the city of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
- Ken Morrison (1931–2017), English supermarket CEO
- Ken Murray (disambiguation), multiple people
- Ken Nomura (born 1965), member of the drifting motorsport scene and of the D1 Grand Prix series
- Ken Okuyama (ケン・オクヤマ, born 1959), Japanese car designer, creative director of Pininfarina, professor
- Ken Parrish (born 1984), American football player
- Ken Penders, American comic book writer
- Ken Pettway (born 1964), American player of gridiron football
- Ken Pogue (1934–2015), Canadian actor
- Ken Ring (rapper) (born 1979), Swedish rapper
- Ken Robinson (disambiguation), multiple people
- Ken Rosewall (born 1934), Grand Slam tennis champion
- Ken Rush (1931–2011), former NASCAR Cup Series driver
- Ken Russell (1927–2011), film director and actor
- Ken Rutherford (cricketer) (born 1965), New Zealand cricketer
- Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941–1995), writer and political activist
- Ken Schrader (born 1955), NASCAR driver
- Ken Seals, American college football player
- Ken Shamrock (born 1964), American mixed martial artist and retired professional wrestler
- Ken Shimura (志村 けん, 1950–2020), Japanese comedian, member of the Drifters
- Ken Shimizu (清水 健, born 1979), Japanese male adult video (AV) actor
- Ken Singleton (born 1947), American Major League Baseball player and commentator
- Ken Sio (born 1990), Australian Rugby League player
- Ken Spears (1938–2020), American cartoonist and film producer
- Ken Spikes (1935–2009), former NASCAR Cup Series driver
- Ken Spreitzer, computer programmer
- Ken Starr (1946–2022), American lawyer and judge
- Ken Stott (born 1954), Scottish actor
- Ken Sugimori (杉森 建, born 1966), Japanese illustrator known for his work on the Pokémon video games
- Ken Takakura (高倉 健, 1931–2014), Japanese film actor
- Ken Terrell (1904–1966), actor and stuntman
- Ken Thaiday Snr (born 1950), Torres Strait Islander/Australian artist
- Ken Thompson (born 1943), American computer scientist and one of the primary creators of Unix
- Ken Tyrrell (1924–2001), founder of the Formula One team Tyrrell Racing
- Ken Uehara (1909–1991), Japanese film actor
- Ken Wahl (born 1954), American actor
- Ken Waldichuk (born 1998), American baseball player
- Ken Watabe (渡部 建, born 1972), Japanese comedian and television presenter
- Ken Watanabe (渡辺 謙, born 1959), Japanese theater, TV, and film actor
- Ken Webster (disambiguation), multiple people
- Ken Whyld (1926–2003), British chess player and author
- Ken Winey (born 1962), Canadian football player
- Ken Zheng (born 1995), Indonesian actor, screenwriter and martial artist
Fictional characters
edit- Ken Amada (天田 乾), a character in Persona 3
- Ken (Barbie) also known as Ken Carson, toy doll
- Ken Barlow, character in the British TV soap opera Coronation Street
- Ken Cosgrove, a fictional character in the American television series, Mad Men
- Kenshiro (ケンシロウ) or Ken, hero of the manga and anime series Fist of the North Star
- Kenshin Himura (緋村 剣心) or Ken, main character of the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin
- Ken Ryūgūji (龍宮寺 堅), a character of the manga and anime series Tokyo Revengers
- Ken Hisatsu (久津 ケン), a character in the Juken Sentai Gekiranger
- Ken Hoshikawa (星川 健), a character in Chikyu Sentai Fiveman
- Ken Ichijouji (一乗寺 賢), a character in the anime series Digimon
- Ken Joshima (城島 犬), a character in the anime series Reborn!
- Ken Kaneki (金木 研), main character of the manga and anime series Tokyo Ghoul
- Ken Kogashiwa (小柏 健), a character in Initial D
- Ken Marks, a character in 1993 action/martial arts movie Showdown
- Ken Masters (ケン・マスターズ), character in the Street Fighter franchise
- Ken Midori or Kensuke Midorikawa (緑川 ケンスケ), a character in the anime series Beyblade Burst
- Ken Minami (美波 ケン), character in the anime series Machine Robo Rescue
- Ken Murphy, a character in the 2009 American romantic comedy-drama movie He's Just Not That Into You, Daphne Zuniga
- Ken Rosenberg, a character in the Grand Theft Auto video games
- Ultraman Ken, better known as Father of Ultra, from the Ultraman Series; true name revealed in the film Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend