Ken (given name)

Ken
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

Ken is a masculine given name of Japanese and Scottish Gaelic origin.

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

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

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

People

Fictional characters

See also