*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Kenan

* Borrowed from Hebrew קֵינָן (qēnå̄n). * Alternatively, possibly a variant of Keenan, from Irish Cianán, a diminutive of Cian.

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Hebrew. · A descendant of Seth, son of Enos. · A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* Borrowed from Hebrew קֵינָן (qēnå̄n). * Alternatively, possibly a variant of Keenan, from Irish Cianán, a diminutive of Cian.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "he",
        "3": "קֵינָן",
        "tr": "qēnå̄n"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hebrew קֵינָן (qēnå̄n)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "Cianán"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish Cianán"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "קֵינָן",
      "קינן#Hebrew"
    ],
    [
      "Keenan",
      "Keenan#English"
    ],
    [
      "Cianán",
      "Cianán#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "Cian",
      "Cian#Irish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Hebrew.",
        "A descendant of Seth, son of Enos.",
        "A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e97d32c577c673ed1d4a0f84678ea3167be4b5af63cf680b6a702ba1da2ce151",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f05f5c1b5ee3bdd781f17bc7f8836a39e92a031e0682fe3747d7715fd13e52d3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3693972
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Kenan →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-S2VuYW4