Kankakee /kæŋkəˈki/ is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The city's name is probably derived from the Miami-Illinois word teeyaahkiki, meaning: "Open country/exposed land/land in open/land exposed to view," in reference to the area's prior status as a marsh. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,537.