Kennedy is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Poland in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 465 at the 2010 census. From 1805–1841, the hamlet was known as Kennedy Mills, in honor of Thomas Ruston Kennedy, the founder of the local mills. The name was changed in 1841 to Kennedyville. Eleven years later, the name changed again, this time to Falconer in honor of Robert and William Falconer. In 1860, on the request of an Erie Railroad official, the hamlet became Kennedy. The name was promptly placed on the railroad station constructed in 1861.

Chautauqua County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, and its largest city is Jamestown. Its name is believed to be the lone surviving remnant of the Erie language, a tongue lost in the 17th century Beaver Wars; its meaning is unknown and a subject of speculation. The county was created in 1808 and organized in 1811. The county is part of the Western New York region of the state.