- Origin: Dena’ina
- Gender: Unisex
- Meaning: “flat, meadow, open area with few trees; base, low ridge.”
- Usage: English, Spanish
- First Appearance as a given name: possibly 1827
- Pronunciation: KEE-ny
The name is from a transferred use of the place-name in Alaska, from the Dena’ina Native American language meaning “flat, meadow, open area with few trees; base, low ridge.”
Its use as a first name, mainly for males, boomed in the early 2000s, mostly in Alaska and interestingly enough, in Puerto Rico. It’s usage in Puerto Rican is likely influenced by other names trendy in Puerto Rico at the time, such as Isai, Isaiah and Kenan. The 2003 animated Disney film, Brother Bear, in which a character bears this name, most likely nudged its use.
The earliest use I could find of this name through familysearch.org is that of a Pawnee Native American man, born 1827. I cannot confirm if this was a clerical error for Kenneth, a nickname or perhaps an actual Pawnee name.
It is also coincides with a Japanese surname meaning “imperial lands.”
Sources