Head to head · Boys' names
Kendrick vs Scott
#535 vs #534 in 2025
Scott is a whisker ahead (#534 vs #535 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Scott is holding its place on the charts, Kendrick is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Scott leads 6 measures of 6; Kendrick leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Kendrick —, Scott #237 — Scott higher
- 1890s: Kendrick —, Scott #292 — Scott higher
- 1900s: Kendrick —, Scott #359 — Scott higher
- 1910s: Kendrick #1928, Scott #414 — Scott higher
- 1920s: Kendrick #2016, Scott #437 — Scott higher
- 1930s: Kendrick #2206, Scott #405 — Scott higher
- 1940s: Kendrick #1529, Scott #204 — Scott higher
- 1950s: Kendrick #1442, Scott #44 — Scott higher
- 1960s: Kendrick #956, Scott #15 — Scott higher
- 1970s: Kendrick #405, Scott #20 — Scott higher
- 1980s: Kendrick #355, Scott #41 — Scott higher
- 1990s: Kendrick #384, Scott #90 — Scott higher
- 2000s: Kendrick #511, Scott #235 — Scott higher
- 2010s: Kendrick #417, Scott #439 — Kendrick higher
- 2020s: Kendrick #468, Scott #576 — Kendrick higher
Scott stood higher in 13 of 15 decades; Kendrick has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Kendrick | Scott |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #237 |
| 1890s | — | #292 |
| 1900s | — | #359 |
| 1910s | #1928 | #414 |
| 1920s | #2016 | #437 |
| 1930s | #2206 | #405 |
| 1940s | #1529 | #204 |
| 1950s | #1442 | #44 |
| 1960s | #956 | #15 |
| 1970s | #405 | #20 |
| 1980s | #355 | #41 |
| 1990s | #384 | #90 |
| 2000s | #511 | #235 |
| 2010s | #417 | #439 |
| 2020s | #468 | #576 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Kendrick
'royal power' or 'chief hero', depending on which root
Two serious readings compete, because two separate old names produced the same surname. From Old English Cyneric — cyne 'royal' plus ric 'power'. From Welsh Cynwrig — cyn 'chief, foremost' plus a second element usually read as 'hero' or 'man'. A third, quite different route exists in Scotland, where Kendrick comes from Mac Eanraig, 'son of Henry', and carries no 'royal power' sense at all.
Cyneric → Cynwrig → Kenrick → Kendrick
How it traveled
Kendrick is one of those names that reached us backwards: it was a family name for centuries before anyone thought to give it to a baby as a first name. Behind the surname sit the Old English Cyneric and the Welsh Cynwrig, both compounds built from words for rulership and pre-eminence, worn down over the medieval period into Kenrick and then Kendrick with the intrusive d that English so often slips into such clusters.
Scott
a Scot
The name is a nationality used as a personal name. What Scotti itself meant is not known; it is a Latin rendering of something the Romans heard, and no reliable etymology survives.
Scotti → Scott
How it traveled
In medieval England the surname meant exactly what it says: a man from Scotland, or a Gaelic speaker, given the name by neighbors who noticed. Border families carried it heavily, and it is now one of the commonest surnames in Scotland itself, which is a slight joke — you do not need to say a man is Scottish while he is standing in Scotland.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Kendrick
KEN-drik
Stress on the first syllable. Two syllables, no silent letters, and the same in British and American English. English speakers read it right on the first try.
- Ken — The standard short form, and a long-established given name in its own right; most strongly represented among older generations.
- Kenny — Informal and affectionate, also used as a full given name on its own.
- K — Initial-only nickname, common among American teenagers and in sports settings.
- Drick — Back-half clipping, informal and mostly used between friends.
Scott
SKOT
One syllable, rhyming with hot. Said the same way everywhere English is spoken.
- Scotty — The affectionate form; a standing name of its own in America.
- Scottie — The ie spelling of the same form; also a breed of dog.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Kendrick if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsKendrick is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itKendrick runs 2 syllables, Scott 1
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Ken, Kenny and K
- a newer arrivalKendrick entered the US charts in 1912
Choose Scott if you want…
- a name on the way upup 28 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesScott is 1 syllable to Kendrick's 2
- a long American recordScott was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Kendrick
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds from parts English speakers already know — Ken and the -rick ending — so it rarely needs repeating.
- Comes with ready-made short forms, Ken and Kenny, both of which have stood alone as names for a very long time.
- A long unbroken record in American use, so it is familiar without being crowded — a Kendrick will likely be the only one in the class.
To consider
- It is closely tied in many people's minds to one very famous contemporary bearer, the rapper Kendrick Lamar. That association is likely to be the first thing said about the name for years to come — a plus for some families, a distraction for others.
- Kenrick, Kendric and Kendrix all exist, so expect the occasional dropped d or swapped ending in writing, even if the pronunciation never causes trouble.
- The natural short form, Ken, sits with an older generation and has its own separate baggage from the Barbie films. Kenny travels more easily with a child.
Scott
Strengths
- One syllable and five letters, with no possible mispronunciation.
- It works well in front of long surnames, where fuller names get crowded.
- It has an unbroken run in American records from the first year they were kept.
To consider
- It is strongly associated with the nineteen-sixties and seventies in America.
- It is also a very common surname, so Scott Scott is possible and does happen.
- The spelling is recorded for a small number of girls, though it reads overwhelmingly as a boy's name.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Kendrick and Scott in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Kendrick and Scott?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Eight-letter names with presence
- Quiet perennials: a century old, never popular
- Names ending in -ck
- The top-10 club: every name that made it
- all guides
Where Kendrick and Scott each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Kendrick or Scott — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Kendrick or Scott?
- Scott, in 2025: Scott ranked #534 with 561 babies; Kendrick ranked #535 with 559 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Kendrick or Scott?
- Scott. Over the last five years Kendrick moved down 110 places; Scott moved up 28 places.
- Which is the older name, Kendrick or Scott?
- Kendrick entered the US charts in 1912; Scott was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Scott is the older name.
- How many people are named Kendrick and Scott?
- About 32,000 people named Kendrick are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 664,000 people named Scott are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Kendricks or Scotts in the classroom?
- Kendrick will almost certainly be the only one in school. Scott will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Kendrick, Scott and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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