Meaning & Origin
A maritime county in southeast England bordered by East Sussex, Surrey, Greater London, the North Sea and the English Channel.
Kent is a boy's and girl's baby name derived from the ancient English county of the same name, itself from the Celtic tribal name Cantium, possibly meaning 'coastal land' or 'corner land.' As a given name, it projects a clean, one-syllable directness that appealed strongly to mid-century American parents.
Kent peaked in U.S. birth records in the 1950s and 1960s, fitting neatly into the era of crisp, no-nonsense male names. It also carries a quiet superhero association — Clark Kent, Superman's mild-mannered alter ego, has kept this name in the cultural imagination for generations.