boy's name
Kenji
- Origin Japanese
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 7,766
the United States
#945
2025 births
Kenji is a boy's name with 2 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 249 babies in the United States, ranking #945. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
- Kenji is a name of Japanese origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 337 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 13,315 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1913.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kenji over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 85 |
| 1920s | 213 |
| 1930s | 96 |
| 1940s | 23 |
| 1950s | 18 |
| 1960s | 104 |
| 1970s | 443 |
| 1980s | 367 |
| 1990s | 423 |
| 2000s | 901 |
| 2010s | 1,292 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,692 |
How popular is Kenji?
In 2025, Kenji was given to 249 babies in the United States, ranking #945 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Kenji is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Kenji is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Kenjï | Kenjï is a rare spelling of Kenji, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Kenji
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kenji also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kenji over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Kenji
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kenji — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kenji
How popular is the name Kenji?
In 2025, Kenji was given to 249 babies in the United States, ranking #945 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Kenji a girl's or a boy's name?
Kenji is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Kenji?
Kenji has 2 syllables.
When was Kenji most popular?
Kenji peaked in 2022, when 337 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Kenji a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kenji currently ranks #945 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.