# Ken (given name) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ken_(given_name) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ken_(given_name).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_(given_name) > Source revision: 1354818291 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Infobox given name | name = Ken | image = | image_size = | caption = | pronunciation = | gender = Male | meaning = | region = | language = [English language](/source/English_language), [Japan](/source/Japan)ese | origin =[Japanese](/source/Japanese_language), [Scottish Gaelic](/source/Scottish_Gaelic) | alternative spelling = | nickname = [Kenny](/source/Kenny) | variant forms = | related names = [Kenneth](/source/Kenneth), [Kendrick](/source/Kendrick_(disambiguation)), [Kendall](/source/Kendall_(given_name)), [Kenan](/source/Kenan_(name)), [Keenan](/source/Keenan), [Keegan](/source/Keegan_(given_name)), [Kevin](/source/Kevin), [Kelvin](/source/Kelvin_(given_name)), [Kellan](/source/Kellan), [Kenny](/source/Kenny), [Can](/source/Can_(name)), [Kayne](/source/Kayne), [Kanye](/source/Kanye_(Igbo_name)), [Kahn](/source/Kahn), [Dicken](/source/Dicken_(disambiguation)), [Kennedy](/source/Kennedy_(given_name)), [Kenson](/source/Kenson_(disambiguation)), [Kenta](/source/Kenta), [Kent](/source/Kent) | name day = | derived = | popularity = | footnotes = }} '''Ken''' is a masculine given name of Japanese and [Scottish Gaelic](/source/Scottish_Gaelic) origin. The [Japanese given name](/source/Japanese_name) is common among males. It can have many different meanings depending on the [kanji](/source/kanji) used. Ken is also a masculine [given name](/source/given_name) of Scottish / [Scottish Gaelic](/source/Scottish_Gaelic) origin. It is used as a given name or as a short form of names with the letters "Ken" (like [Kenneth](/source/Kenneth), [Kenan](/source/Kenan), [Kendrick](/source/Kendrick_(disambiguation)), [Kendall](/source/Kendall_(given_name)), [Kennedy](/source/Kennedy_(given_name)), [Mackenzie](/source/Mackenzie_(given_name)), [Kenson](/source/Kenson_(disambiguation)), or Kenelm). == People == * [Ken (musician)](/source/Ken_(musician)) (born 1968), Japanese musician and member of the bands L'Arc-en-Ciel and Sons of All Pussys * {{Nihongo|[Ken Akamatsu](/source/Ken_Akamatsu)|赤松 健||born 1968}}, Japanese author * [Ken Anderson (quarterback)](/source/Ken_Anderson_(quarterback)) (born 1949), American quarterback * [Ken Anderson (wrestler)](/source/Ken_Anderson_(wrestler)) (born 1976), American professional wrestler known under the ring name Mr. Kennedy * [Ken Barrie](/source/Ken_Barrie) (1933–2016), English voice actor and singer * [Ken Block (disambiguation)](/source/Ken_Block_(disambiguation)), multiple people * [Ken Bowersox](/source/Ken_Bowersox) (born 1956), American astronaut * [Ken Bruce](/source/Ken_Bruce) (born 1951), Scottish DJ * [Ken Bruen](/source/Ken_Bruen) (1951–2025), Irish crime fiction writer * [Ken Buesseler](/source/Ken_Buesseler) (born 1959), American marine radiochemist * [Ken Burns](/source/Ken_Burns) (born 1953), American documentary filmmaker * [Ken Caillat](/source/Ken_Caillat) (born 1946), American record producer * [Ken Caminiti](/source/Ken_Caminiti) (1963–2004), Major League Baseball player * [Ken Campbell](/source/Ken_Campbell) (1941–2008), English writer, actor, and director * [Ken Campbell (evangelist)](/source/Ken_Campbell_(evangelist)) (1934–2006), Canadian evangelist * [Ken Carlson](/source/Ken_Carlson) (born 1951), American politician * [Ken Casey](/source/Ken_Casey), bassist of the Boston Irish punk rock group Dropkick Murphys * [Ken Chan (Filipino actor)](/source/Ken_Chan_(Filipino_actor)) (born 1993), Filipino actor * [Ken Christianson](/source/Ken_Christianson), California based artist and musician, with art collective Elephant Empire * [Ken Clark (actor)](/source/Ken_Clark_(actor)) (1927–2009), American actor * [Ken Clouston](/source/Ken_Clouston), member of the Wyoming House of Representatives * [Ken Croken](/source/Ken_Croken) (born 1950), American politician * [Ken Davitian](/source/Ken_Davitian) (born 1953), American film and TV actor * [Ken Dodd](/source/Ken_Dodd) (1927–2018), English comedian and singer * [Ken Doherty](/source/Ken_Doherty) (born 1969), Irish professional snooker player, commentator and radio presenter * [Ken Dyer](/source/Ken_Dyer) (1946–2010), American football player * [Ken Dryden](/source/Ken_Dryden) (born 1947), Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender * [Ken Flax](/source/Ken_Flax) (born 1963), American Olympic hammer thrower * [Ken Follett](/source/Ken_Follett) (born 1949), British author of thrillers and historical novels * [Ken Giles](/source/Ken_Giles) (born 1990), American baseball player * [Ken Griffey Sr.](/source/Ken_Griffey_Sr.) (born 1950), American baseball player * [Ken Griffey Jr.](/source/Ken_Griffey_Jr.) (born 1969), American baseball player * [Ken Ham](/source/Ken_Ham) (born 1951), Australian-born American creationist * [Ken Harrelson](/source/Ken_Harrelson) (born 1941), Major League Baseball player and broadcaster * [Ken Harris](/source/Ken_Harris) (1898–1982), American animator * [Ken Hendricks](/source/Ken_Hendricks) (1941–2007), American businessman, president of Hendricks Group * {{Nihongo|[Ken Hirai](/source/Ken_Hirai)|平井 堅||born 1972}}, J-pop singer known for the hit songs "Hitomi wo Tojite" and "POP STAR" * [Ken Hoang](/source/Ken_Hoang) (born 1985), American professional electronic sports player * [Ken Holtzman](/source/Ken_Holtzman) (born 1945), American Major League Baseball pitcher * [Ken Hon](/source/Ken_Hon), American geologist and head of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory * {{Nihongo|[Ken Horiuchi](/source/Ken_Horiuchi)|堀内 健||born 1969}}, Japanese comedian * [Ken Hughes](/source/Ken_Hughes) (1922–2001), British writer and director of films, including ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' * [Ken Jacobs](/source/Ken_Jacobs) (1933–2025), American experimental filmmaker * [Ken Jennings](/source/Ken_Jennings) (born 1974), American; contestant, executive producer and host of the game show ''Jeopardy!'' * [Ken Jeong](/source/Ken_Jeong) (born 1969), American comedian, actor and former physician * [Ken Kelley (American football)](/source/Ken_Kelley_(American_football)) (born 1960), American football player * [Ken Kelley (journalist)](/source/Ken_Kelley_(journalist)) (1949–2008), American journalist and publisher * [Ken Keltner](/source/Ken_Keltner) (1916–1991), American baseball player * [Ken Kesey](/source/Ken_Kesey) (1935–2001), American novelist, author of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' * [Ken Kirby](/source/Ken_Kirby), Canadian-born actor and screenwriter * [Ken Klippenstein](/source/Ken_Klippenstein), American journalist * [Ken Kojima](/source/Ken_Kojima) (born 1999), Japanese idol, actor, and fashion model * [Ken Kratz](/source/Ken_Kratz) (born 1960–61), American lawyer, former district attorney of Calumet County, Wisconsin * [Ken Kutaragi](/source/Ken_Kutaragi) (born 1950), Japanese businessman, president and CEO, later chairman, of Sony Computer Entertainment * [Ken Kwaku](/source/Ken_Kwaku) (born 1946), Ghanaian corporate governance expert * [Ken LaCorte](/source/Ken_LaCorte) (born 1965), American YouTuber and former Fox News executive * [Ken Lay](/source/Kenneth_Lay) (1942–2006), American business executive, CEO and chairman of Enron * [Ken Labanowski](/source/Ken_Labanowski) (born 1959), American-Israeli basketball player * [Ken Leung](/source/Ken_Leung) (born 1970), American film and television actor * [Ken Livingstone](/source/Ken_Livingstone) (born 1945), British politician, former mayor of London * [Ken Lloyd](/source/Ken_Lloyd) (born 1976), Japanese-British musician, vocalist and songwriter of Fake? and Oblivion Dust * [Ken Loach](/source/Ken_Loach) (born 1936), British film director * [Ken Lutz](/source/Ken_Lutz) (born 1965), American football player * [Ken Matthews (disambiguation)](/source/Ken_Matthews_(disambiguation)), multiple people * [Ken McAlister](/source/Ken_McAlister) (born 1960), American football player * [Ken McCarthy](/source/Ken_McCarthy) (born 1959), American activist, educator, entrepreneur and Internet commercialization pioneer * [Ken McCarty](/source/Ken_McCarty) (born 1958), American politician * [Ken MacLeod](/source/Ken_MacLeod) (born 1954), Scottish science fiction writer * [Ken McElroy](/source/Ken_McElroy) (1934–1981), American unsolved murder victim and criminal * [Ken Messer](/source/Ken_Messer) (1931–2018), British painter * [Ken Misner](/source/Ken_Misner) (born 1949), American painter and distance runner * [Ken Miyagishima](/source/Ken_Miyagishima) (born 1963), American mayor * {{Nihongo|[Ken Mizuno](/source/Ken_Mizuno)|水野 剣||born 1978}}, Japanese freestyle skier * [Ken Morrish](/source/Ken_Morrish) (1919–2006), mayor of the city of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada * [Ken Morrison](/source/Ken_Morrison) (1931–2017), English supermarket CEO * [Ken Moran](/source/Ken_Moran) (1925–2009), Australian Paralympic lawn bowler * [Ken Murray (disambiguation)](/source/Ken_Murray_(disambiguation)), multiple people * [Ken Nomura](/source/Ken_Nomura) (born 1965), Japanese member of the drifting motorsport scene and of the D1 Grand Prix series * {{Nihongo|[Ken Okuyama](/source/Ken_Okuyama)|ケン・オクヤマ||born 1959}}, Japanese car designer, creative director of Pininfarina, professor * [Ken Olin](/source/Ken_Olin) (born 1954), American actor, television director, and producer * [Ken Parrish](/source/Ken_Parrish) (born 1984), American football player * [Ken Penders](/source/Ken_Penders), American comic book writer * [Ken Peplowski](/source/Ken_Peplowski) (1959–2026), American jazz clarinetist * [Ken Pettway](/source/Ken_Pettway) (born 1964), American player of gridiron football * [Ken Phares](/source/Ken_Phares) (born 1951), American football player * [Ken Pogue](/source/Ken_Pogue) (1934–2015), Canadian actor * [Ken Ring (rapper)](/source/Ken_Ring_(rapper)) (born 1979), Swedish rapper * [Ken Robinson (disambiguation)](/source/Ken_Robinson_(disambiguation)), multiple people * [Ken Rosewall](/source/Ken_Rosewall) (born 1934), Australian Grand Slam tennis champion * [Ken Rush](/source/Ken_Rush) (1931–2011), American NASCAR Cup Series driver * [Ken Russell](/source/Ken_Russell) (1927–2011), British film director and actor * [Ken Rutherford (cricketer)](/source/Ken_Rutherford_(cricketer)) (born 1965), New Zealand cricketer * [Ken Saro-Wiwa](/source/Ken_Saro-Wiwa) (1941–1995), Nigerian writer and political activist * [Ken Schrader](/source/Ken_Schrader) (born 1955), American NASCAR driver * [Ken Seals](/source/Ken_Seals), American college football player * [Ken Shamrock](/source/Ken_Shamrock) (born 1964), American mixed martial artist and retired professional wrestler * {{Nihongo|[Ken Shimura](/source/Ken_Shimura)|志村 けん||1950–2020}}, Japanese comedian, member of the Drifters * {{Nihongo|[Ken Shimizu](/source/Ken_Shimizu)|清水 健||born 1979}}, Japanese male adult video (AV) actor * [Ken Singleton](/source/Ken_Singleton) (born 1947), American Major League Baseball player and commentator * [Ken Sio](/source/Ken_Sio) (born 1990), Australian Rugby League player * [Ken Spears](/source/Ken_Spears) (1938–2020), American cartoonist and film producer * [Ken Spikes](/source/Ken_Spikes) (1935–2009), American NASCAR Cup Series driver * [Ken Spreitzer](/source/Ken_Spreitzer), computer programmer, creator of "Uninstaller" * [Ken Starr](/source/Ken_Starr) (1946–2022), American lawyer and judge * [Ken Stott](/source/Ken_Stott) (born 1954), Scottish actor * {{Nihongo|[Ken Sugimori](/source/Ken_Sugimori)|杉森 建||born 1966}}, Japanese illustrator known for his work on the ''Pokémon'' video games * {{Nihongo|[Ken Takakura](/source/Ken_Takakura)|高倉 健||1931–2014}}, Japanese film actor * [Ken Terrell](/source/Ken_Terrell) (1904–1966), American actor and stuntman * [Ken Thaiday Snr](/source/Ken_Thaiday_Snr) (born 1950), Torres Strait Islander/Australian artist * [Ken Thompson](/source/Ken_Thompson) (born 1943), American computer scientist and one of the primary creators of Unix * [Ken Todd](/source/Ken_Todd_(entrepreneur)) (born 1945), British businessman * [Ken Tyrrell](/source/Ken_Tyrrell) (1924–2001), British racing driver, founder of the Formula One team Tyrrell Racing * [Ken Uehara](/source/Ken_Uehara) (1909–1991), Japanese film actor * [Ken Wahl](/source/Ken_Wahl) (born 1954), American actor * [Ken Waldichuk](/source/Ken_Waldichuk) (born 1998), American baseball player * {{Nihongo|[Ken Watabe](/source/Ken_Watabe)|渡部 建||born 1972}}, Japanese comedian and television presenter * {{Nihongo|[Ken Watanabe](/source/Ken_Watanabe)|渡辺 謙||born 1959}}, Japanese theater, TV, and film actor * [Ken Webster (disambiguation)](/source/Ken_Webster_(disambiguation)), multiple people * [Ken Whyld](/source/Ken_Whyld) (1926–2003), British chess player and author * [Ken Winey](/source/Ken_Winey) (born 1962), Canadian football player * [Ken Zheng](/source/Ken_Zheng) (born 1995), Indonesian actor, screenwriter and martial artist == Fictional characters == *{{Nihongo|[Ken Amada](/source/Ken_Amada)|天田 乾|}}, a character in ''[Persona 3](/source/Persona_3)'' *[Ken (Barbie)](/source/Ken_(Barbie)) also known as Ken Carson, toy doll *[Ken Barlow](/source/Ken_Barlow), character in the British TV soap opera ''[Coronation Street](/source/Coronation_Street)'' *[Ken Cosgrove](/source/Ken_Cosgrove), a fictional character in the American television series, ''[Mad Men](/source/Mad_Men)'' *{{Nihongo|[Kenshiro](/source/Kenshiro)|ケンシロウ|}} or Ken, hero of the manga and anime series ''[Fist of the North Star](/source/Fist_of_the_North_Star)'' *{{Nihongo|[Kenshin Himura](/source/Kenshin_Himura)|緋村 剣心|}} or Ken, main character of the manga and anime series ''[Rurouni Kenshin](/source/Rurouni_Kenshin)'' *{{Nihongo|[Ken Ryūgūji](/source/List_of_Tokyo_Revengers_characters)|龍宮寺 堅|}}, a character of the manga and anime series ''[Tokyo Revengers](/source/Tokyo_Revengers)'' *{{Nihongo|[Ken Hisatsu](/source/List_of_Juken_Sentai_Gekiranger_characters)|久津 ケン|}}, a character in the ''[Juken Sentai Gekiranger](/source/Juken_Sentai_Gekiranger)'' *{{Nihongo|Ken Hoshikawa|星川 健|}}, a character in ''[Chikyu Sentai Fiveman](/source/Chikyu_Sentai_Fiveman)'' *{{Nihongo|[Ken Ichijouji](/source/Ken_Ichijouji)|一乗寺 賢|}}, a character in the anime series ''[Digimon](/source/Digimon)'' *[Ken Joshima](/source/List_of_Reborn!_antagonists) (城島 犬), a character in the anime series ''[Reborn!](/source/Reborn!)'' *{{Nihongo|[Ken Kaneki](/source/Ken_Kaneki)|金木 研|}}, main character of the manga and anime series ''[Tokyo Ghoul](/source/Tokyo_Ghoul)'' *{{Nihongo|Ken Kogashiwa|小柏 健|}}, a character in ''[Initial D](/source/Initial_D)'' *Ken Marks, a character in 1993 action/martial arts movie ''[Showdown](/source/Showdown_(1993_film))'' *{{Nihongo|[Ken Masters](/source/Ken_Masters)|ケン・マスターズ|}}, character in the ''[Street Fighter](/source/Street_Fighter)'' franchise *{{Nihongo|Ken Midori or Kensuke Midorikawa|緑川 ケンスケ|}}, a character in the anime series ''[Beyblade Burst](/source/Beyblade_Burst)'' *{{Nihongo|[Ken Minami](/source/Ken_Minami)|美波 ケン|}}, character in the anime series ''[Machine Robo Rescue](/source/Machine_Robo_Rescue)'' *Ken Murphy, a character in the 2009 American romantic comedy-drama movie ''[He's Just Not That Into You](/source/He's_Just_Not_That_Into_You_(film))'', [Daphne Zuniga](/source/Daphne_Zuniga) *[Ken Rosenberg](/source/Ken_Rosenberg), a character in the ''[Grand Theft Auto](/source/Grand_Theft_Auto)'' video games *Ultraman Ken, better known as Father of Ultra, from the [Ultraman Series](/source/Ultra_Series); true name revealed in the film [Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend](/source/Mega_Monster_Battle%3A_Ultra_Galaxy) *Ken, a fictional character from an animated web series ''The Gaslight District'' == See also == * [Ken (disambiguation)](/source/Ken_(disambiguation)) * [Kenneth](/source/Kenneth) * [Kenny (disambiguation)](/source/Kenny_(disambiguation)) {{given name}} Category:English masculine given names Category:Japanese masculine given names Category:Masculine given names Category:Hypocorisms --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ken (given name)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_(given_name)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_(given_name)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.