Kennedy (given name)

Cinnéididh and Cinnéidigh in a Gaelic type. Note the lenited g and d in the names (gh, dh) once appeared in Irish orthography with a dot above them.
Pronunciation	/ˈkɛnɪdi/
Gender	Unisex
Language(s)	English
Language(s)	Irish
See also	Kennedy (surname)

Kennedy /ˈkɛnɪdi/ is a unisex given name in the English language. The name is an Anglicised form of a masculine given name in the Irish language.

According to Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges, the given name Kennedy is an Anglicised form of Cinnéidigh, a masculine given name in the Irish language. This Irish name is composed of two elements: the first, ceann, means "head"; the second, éidigh, means "ugly". According to Patrick Woulfe, who wrote in the early 19th century, Kennedy or Kynidi is an Anglicised form the Irish Cinnéididh and Cinnéidigh. Woulfe derived these Irish names from two elements: the first, ceann, meaning "a head"; the second, éide, meaning "Armour"; hence the name can be thought to mean "helmet-headed".

As a masculine given name, Kennedy can be rendered into Irish as Cinnéididh and Cinnéidigh, and into Latin as Kinnedius. The masculine Kennedy can be rendered into Scottish Gaelic as Uarraig. This name is etymologically unrelated to the English Kennedy and Irish Cinnéidigh. Uarraig is composed of two Gaelic elements: the first, uall, means "pride"; and the second, garg, means "fierce". This Scottish Gaelic name is Anglicised Kennedy possibly because it was commonly borne by various families who bore the surname Kennedy. One such family, according tradition dating from the 18th century, descended from a man who bore a form of this name, and settled in Lochaber in the 16th century.