Kenyon

Kenyon has a history of being used as a masculine given name in the United States and mostly among African-Americans (although some people might argue Kenyon could be considered unisex). The name is actually the transferred use of an Old English surname derived from a place name, a small hamlet in the north of England near Liverpool (first recorded in the early 13th century as “Kenien”). The place name was eventually given as a surname to the area’s lord of the manor. Kenyon is believed to be derived from Enion, which is an ancient Welsh personal name meaning “anvil” (which is a metalworker or blacksmith’s tool, a sturdy piece of iron upon which heated metal is beaten into its desired shape). The Old Welsh word “cruc” together with “Enion” would have signified the burial place of Enion (most likely an important early Celtic chief who dwelled in the region). The first recorded spelling of the surname appeared in an ancient tax log as Robert de Kenien in 1212. As a given name, Kenyon is much more modern and still rather rare.