Keng
Masculine
Keng is a single syllable that more than one Asian language uses, and the American record does not say which one a given family meant. In Thai, keng is an everyday word for clever or skilled, and it is one of the familiar nicknames Thai families give children.
How old is the name Keng?
Keng first appears in US birth records in 1979 — 46 years ago. The typical Keng alive today was born around 1996, making them about 29 years old. About 500 people named Keng are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Keng most popular?
Keng peaked in 1992, reaching #2303 nationally. See the whole 1992 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Keng
Keng is one clean syllable, the kind that travels. In Thai it is a word of praise, said of someone who is good at a thing, and Thai parents hand it to children as an everyday nickname, the name that friends and family actually use. Other languages of East and Southeast Asia write the same four letters for sounds and names of their own, and in American records they all arrive looking identical. Short enough that no one needs to spell it twice, it keeps its own counsel about which language it came from.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No single source can be assigned. In Thai, keng means 'clever, good at something' and is a common nickname. The same spelling renders words and names in other Asian languages too, and the American record does not say which a family meant.
Pronouncing Keng
KENG
One syllable, the e as in bed, ending in the ng of sing. In Thai the k is unaspirated, closer to a g, and the word carries a low tone.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1979
- Most boys named
- 199232 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2303reached in 1992
- Change vs 2021
- −22.2%7 in 2023, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Keng in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Keng in Thai — transliteration
Kengs among us
people named Keng are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Keng sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- One syllable, four letters, hard to misspell.
- In Thai it is a word of praise: clever, skilled.
- Rare in the United States, so it will seldom be shared.
- Its source is not recorded, so the family's own story is the only answer to what it means.
- English speakers will say it with a hard, breathy k, which differs from the Thai sound.
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Keng
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Kengs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Keng are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Keng in 2025?
- Keng is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Keng with classmates?
- Keng will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Kenneth#294 · Kevin#221 · Kyle#508 · Keith#800 · Karl#1585 · Kaleb#295 · Kurt#2258 · Kelly#1867
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Keng? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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