NameRealm
Kenji

Kenji: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“healthy second son”
Origin
Japanese
Say it
KEN-jee · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

Japanese name with several possible kanji combinations; a common one is 健二 meaning 'healthy, strong' and 'second'. Meanings vary depending on the characters used.

Japanese namesNames meaning strengthInternational namesClassic names

How popular is Kenji?

202485.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Kenji in 2024283

2024 rank#854 boys

Peak year2022

Total US babies since 18805,406

Kenji is rising: use over the last five years is 2.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Kenji

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Kobegod's door · Japanese
  • Raidenthunder and lightning · Japanese
  • Kodauncertain · Japanese
  • Roninmasterless samurai · Japanese
  • Kaizenimprovement; change for better · Japanese
  • Kenzohealthy and three · Japanese
  • Zenmeditation · Japanese
  • Jiraiyauncertain; likely a legendary personal name · Japanese

Kenji questions

What does the name Kenji mean?

Kenji means "healthy second son". It comes from Japanese. Japanese name with several possible kanji combinations; a common one is 健二 meaning 'healthy, strong' and 'second'. Meanings vary depending on the characters used.

Is Kenji a boy or girl name?

Kenji is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Kenji?

283 US babies were named Kenji in 2024. Its peak year was 2022.

How do you pronounce Kenji?

Kenji is usually pronounced KEN-jee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.