Ken
Ken is a male given name: 99% of people named Ken are men, and it is recorded as male in 7 of the 8 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Japan, Denmark
- US births since 1880
- 32,640 male / 25 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Ken
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ken," in English, "Guten Tag Ken," in German. Ken is a male given name: about 99% of people named Ken are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Ken,
German
Guten Tag Ken,
French
Bonjour Ken,
Spanish
Estimado/a Ken:
Chinese
Ken您好：
Japanese
Ken様
English
Hi Ken,
German
Hi Ken,
French
Salut Ken,
Spanish
Hola Ken,
Chinese
Ken你好：
Japanese
Kenさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | common | man's name | 100% |
| Japan | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | rare | man's name | 98% |
| China | rare | unisex name | 50% |
| Ireland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
32,640 male · 25 female · 32,665 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ken a male or female name?
Ken is a male given name: 99% of people named Ken are men, and it is recorded as male in 7 of the 8 countries covered.
How do I address Ken in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ken," in English, "Guten Tag Ken," in German. Ken is a male given name: about 99% of people named Ken are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Ken a unisex name?
Ken is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Ken are men. Ken leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Ken a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ken (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_ken,
title = {Is Ken a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ken},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}