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GENDER: "Kenton" is primarily a male name, however similar forms such as "Kennadie" and "Kendal" are often used for females.

PRONUNCIATION: It is pronounced KEN-tun

ETYMOLOGY: Also used as a surname, "Kenton" has several meanings. In Old English, the name means "royal settlement," "bold enclosure," or "bold town." It is also believed to mean "dweller from the village near the river Kenn." This meaning is formed from the Gaelic word "Cain" which means "clear," "Bright," or "white" and the Old English word "tun" for town. In the ancient Aztec language, Anamezing, it translates to mean "barbarian."

===ORIGIN & HISTORY===
The village Kenn, North Somerset, England is situated near the Bristol Channel and the Mendhip Hills. It is here that criminals were hanged for the last time at the scene of a crime in the United Kingdom. The trio of arsonists were hung for setting fire to a farmer's hay. It is also the home town of actress Sophie Okonedo from the movie "Hotel Rwanda."

===POPULARITY===
This unique name reached it's peak in the SSA lists in 1954 reaching number 589. It was no longer on the list's top 1000 after 1998. One possibility in the name's unpopularity my be attributed to the lack of ties with any modern culture or celebrities.

===FACTS===
In the song performed by singer Sheryl Crow "We do what we can" (Tuesday Night Music Club, A&M Records, 1993), the music of notable Jazz figure Stan Kenton was compared with changes and views in life. The song was written by Crow and three other writers and included the lyrics: "Downstairs they're playing Kenton. The house set to swing..I do what I can I live for the moment And that's who I am". The streets of Kenton, UK were used as the setting for an episode of "Fawlty Towers", a BBC series.

===NAMESAKES===
In the United States, Delaware, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Tennessee all have towns or villages named "Kenton." Kenton, Manitoba, Canada was home to James Howell Evans from 1840 to 1846. He is credited with improving communication with the Cree Natives by inventing the syllabic alphabet. The United Kingdom has the River Kenn, the villages of Kenton and Kenton Parish. The Kenton Conservancy in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky is focused on land preservation in the local area. Musical group "The Magoo Brothers" release a song entitled "Kenton Kev" (Bouncing Corporation)
in 1988. The horror film "The Howling" (1981) featured a character by the name of Erle Kenton.

===FAMOUS PERSONS===
Sports stars by this name include Major League Baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals Kenton Lloyd Boyer (May 20, 1931 - Sept 7, 1982) and up-and-coming basketball star Kenton Erington Walker Jr. born on January 28, 1989. Kenton Nelson is a contemporary American idealist painter born in Los Angeles in 1954. Stan Kenton was a famous contributor to Jazz music by introducing a variety of new sounds and concepts into the genre. Simon Kenton, who lived from April 3, 1755 to April 29, 1836, was a great soldier and scout against the Shawnee Indians. He was credited with saving the life of his friend and fellow frontiersman Daniel Boone.

===NAME VARIANTS===
"Kenton" has many similar names and variations including Ken, Kenny, Kennen, Kenan, Kenin, Kenntin, Kentan, Kendal, Kennadie, Kennedy, Kenston, and Kenneth. In Elvish, the language inventeded by writer JRR Tolkien, the name is "Iste." In Hebrew, the name "Kent" is Adin, Hadar, Kalil, Raanan, or Vefet.

Lyric's of Sheryl Crow's "We do What We Can" quoted from elyrics.net

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