Given name
Kenji
“a smart second son; one who is vigorous”
Kenji is used as a given name. One Japanese interpretation is “a smart second son; one who is vigorous.”
Original Japaneseけんじ
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Japanese interpretation is “a smart second son; one who is vigorous.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Japanese.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kenji through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,657
- 5,624 boys · 33 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 337 babies
- 2025
- 249
- #944 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +80%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 249 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 944 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 80.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (51). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,212 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kenji’s family of names
Kenji has a related form in Kenjiro. Kenji has a related form in Kenjee. Kenji has a related form in Kenjey.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 21
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
- 健児original script · Japanese
- 謙二original script · Japanese
- 賢次original script · Japanese
- 健次original script · Japanese
- 兼司original script · Japanese
- 健冶original script · Japanese
- 健治original script · Japanese
- 賢司original script · Japanese
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- 憲治original script · Japanese
- 賢持original script · Japanese
- 健志original script · Japanese
- 健二original script · Japanese
- 健司original script · Japanese
- 謙治original script · Japanese
- 健地original script · Japanese
- 謙次original script · Japanese
- 憲司original script · Japanese
- 賢治original script · Japanese
- 賢二original script · Japanese
- けんじoriginal script · Japanese
- Kenjealikely spelling
People named Kenji
- Kenji MizoguchiJapanese film director and screenwriter (1898-1956)
- Kenji HonnamiJapanese association football playerborn 1964
- Kenji TochioJapanese association football playerborn 1941
- Kenji MiyazawaJapanese poet and author of children's literature (1896–1933)
- Kenji FukudaJapanese association football playerborn 1977
- Kenji HanedaJapanese association football playerborn 1981
- Kenji KomataJapanese association football playerborn 1964
- Kenji KawaiJapanese composerborn 1957
- Kenji KikawadaJapanese association football playerborn 1974
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kenji, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kenzo
Kenzo is a masculine given name from Japanese. It is used in English, French, Dutch, and Tagalog.
>99% boys
Koji
Koji is a masculine given name from Japanese. It is used in English and Tagalog.
>99% boys
Zen
“one who is enlightened”
79% boys · 21% girls
Renzo
“the third-born son”
>99% boys
Kei
Kei is a unisex given name from Japanese.
92% boys · 8% girls
Asai
Asai is a surname from Japanese.
96% boys · 4% girls
Ronin
“a Samurai who doesn't have a master”
98% boys · 2% girls
Asa
“doctor, healer” · “born in the morning”
89% boys · 11% girls