Kenji

Last seen for girls in 2009 at #13,704 · #943 for boys in 2025, 249 births
Given to boys 99.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1978 · 128 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
5,624
since 1913

Kenji over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Kenji has never cracked the top 700 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201979peak #749, 1978boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#943249
2024#854284
2023#827296
2022#754337
2021#845281
2020#910245
2019#1,218156
2018#1,294141
2017#1,314137
2016#1,399125
2015#1,406122
2014#1,61996
2013#1,352125
2012#1,359124
2011#1,198147
2010#1,399119
2009#13,7047#1,148159
2008#1,211145
2007#1,477108
2006#1,51999
2005#1,75275
2004#1,98960
2003#1,93660
2002#15,4325#1,88859
2001#1,62972
2000#1,96852
1999#1,77856
1998#1,58566
1997#2,02444
1996#2,01743
1995#1,64855
1994#2,68527
1993#2,45530
1992#2,00239
1991#2,22732
1990#2,25531
1989#2,41627
1988#2,19728
1987#2,46822
1986#1,79134
1985#1,91630
1984#1,65635
1983#1,90528
1982#1,41545
1981#1,52040
1980#7,4188#1,07970
1979#96584
1978#7,6497#749128
1977#1,15857
1976#1,87326
1975#7,9846#1,83526
1974#1,83225
1973#1,65328
1972#1,96621
1971#2,12619
1970#2,29316
1969#2,04617
1968#1,96217
1967#2,24213
1966#2,46511
1965#2,7809
1964#3,0508
1963#3,3187
1962#3,3057
1961#3,3567
1960#3,0778
1959#3,6196
1958#3,2757
1957
1956#3,9425
1955
1954
1953
1952
1951
1950
1949
1948
1947
1946
1945
1944#2,6338
1943#2,9647
1942
1941
1940#2,6718
1939#2,15911
1938#2,4799
1937#2,08812
1936#3,1476
1935#2,39610
1934#2,5639
1933#2,09312
1932#3,3616
1931#2,47110
1930#2,44411
1929#1,73119
1928#1,90217
1927#2,03416
1926#1,98116
1925#1,36029
1924#1,77620
1923#1,55124
1922#1,33330
1921#2,15215
1920#1,41627
1919#1,53123
1918#1,90517
1917#1,98615
1916#2,54310
1915#3,3926
1914#2,2719
1913#2,8215
1912
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1880
First appearance
1913

The first year at least five boys were named Kenji! It came in at #2,821, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1941–1942, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

See more about Kenji
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 89 spots since 2024 (#854#943)
  • 33 spots since 2020 (#910#943)
  • 463 spots since 2015 (#1,406#943)
  • Biggest jump: 409 spots in 1978 (#1,158#749)
  • Biggest drop: 216 spots in 1979 (#749#965)
Rise & fade · boys
65 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1913
  • Peaked 1978 at #749 (128 births)
  • Births halved by 1981, 3 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 8 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 8 yrs · run 2020–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 5,181
  • Highest: 1 in 5,181 boys born in 2022 were named Kenji (0.02%)
  • Latest: 1 in 6,860 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #749 in 1978, was only 1 in 12,827 (0.01%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 2020s
  • 30.1% of all boys named Kenji (1,692) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1910s85#1,531 (1919)#2,350
1920s213#1,333 (1922)#1,724
1930s96#2,088 (1937)#2,520
1940s23#2,633 (1944)#2,756
1950s18#3,275 (1958)#3,612
1960s104#1,962 (1968)#2,760
1970s430#749 (1978)#1,645
1980s359#1,079 (1980)#1,836
1990s423#1,585 (1998)#2,068
2000s889#1,148 (2009)#1,652
2010s1,292#1,198 (2011)#1,356
2020s1,692#754 (2022)#856

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Kenji in 1979

boys
#965
84 births · 1 in 20,494 boys

Top boys' names in 1979

  1. #1Michael67,713
  2. #2Christopher50,659
  3. #3Jason50,369
  4. #4David42,053
  5. #5James39,351
  6. #6Matthew35,621
  7. #7John35,410
  8. #8Robert34,015
  9. #9Joshua31,120
  10. #10Brian28,659
  11. #965Kenji84
More about 1979

boys

1,721,536 boys got a published name in 1979; 1 in 20,494 of them was named Kenji, which outranked 86.4% of the 7,071 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kenji
  1. #960Garrick85
  2. #960Leopoldo85
  3. #960Timmothy85
  4. #965Kenji84
  5. #965Brandy84
  6. #965Cristopher84
  7. #965Erwin84
  8. #974Donell83
  9. #974Greggory83
  10. #976Andreas82

Tied with 8 names at #965; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. 1,228Tyrel#2,134#906
  2. 471Jace#1,186#715
  3. 387Chaz#1,371#984
  4. 311Tyrell#1,051#740
  5. 308Frederic#1,203#895
Fallers
  1. 1,230Dequan#927#2,157
  2. 641Rahsaan#869#1,510
  3. 446Chip#989#1,435
  4. 308Rashaun#996#1,304
  5. 307Kenya#749#1,056

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1979