Kenji

“Japanese; often written with kanji for 'wise'/'healthy' + 'second'” — Japanese (kanji compound name) origin

Boy's name · #944 in the US (2025) · 2020s

Kenji reached its best rank, #750, in 1978 and ranked #944 in 2025. Roughly 5,600 boys have been named Kenji since 1913. In Hawaii it runs about 8× its national rate.

Around the world: about 1 in 9,900 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 25 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Kenjis

Kenji Mizoguchi — Japanese film director and screenwriter (1898-1956)
Kenji Honnami — Japanese association football player
Kenji Tochio — Japanese association football player
Kenji Miyazawa — Japanese poet and author of children's literature (1896-1933)
Kenji Fukuda — Japanese association football player

In stories & tradition

Kenji Harima — School Rumble
Kenji Sakuragi — Dragon Zakura
Kenji — Red Earth

What Kenjis become

Among 1,025 notable people named Kenji:

Business leaders appear 2.75× more often than among typical names — e.g. Kenji Haga, Japanese entertainer and businessman.

Similar names: Aizen · Kenzo · Benji · Jiraiya · Kannon · Kylin

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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