Kennedy originates in Gaelic languages and means "protected with helmet". It was derived from an old Irish surname and as a surname it functions until today, the famous bearer being the 35th President of the United States, assassinated in Dallas in 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Kennedy is sometimes given as a name to babies to honor the President. It can be used as both feminine and masculine given names, currently it is much more popular for girls in the United States.