Men Named ‘Ken’ React to ‘Barbie’ Mania as Movie Passes $1 Billion Mark: ‘I Ken-Not’

The Kens of the world are getting their day in the sun.

With the smash success of Barbie, which has officially passed the $1 billion mark in global ticket sales, Ryan Gosling's Ken is bringing greater visibility to his real-life counterparts. The name Ken has experienced a steady decline since 1995, the Wall Street Journal reports, but — by all accounts — a resurgence might be around the corner.

The outlet spoke to several Kens about a possible Ken-aissance, many of whom shared that interest around their names has seen a serious spike since the release of Barbie.

“I Ken-not with all of those puns,”  Kenneth Azortibah, a 23-year-old freelance artist, told the WSJ. Another Ken noted that he was recently asked, "Where's Barbie?"

According to the Name Census, Ken is ranked #40,144 in common names in America. While the moniker might not be an in-demand choice for parents, it's a hot commodity right now, with brightly colored "I am Ken-enough" sweatshirts sweeping Etsy. Gosling's song “I’m Just Ken" hit Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with 5.2 million streams.

So, what does it take to live up to the Ken name? According to Gosling, it's pretty simple. "I'm sure you're all aware of the Coco Chanel rule: Before you leave the house, you take one thing off," the actor told GQ. "The Ken rule is, you put three things on."