Japanese · boy
Kenji
A familiar name with a nostalgic, vintage feel.
Meaning
Strong and healthy second son
Kenji is a rare boy name with Japanese roots. In 2024, 283 newborns in the U.S. were given the name — ranking it #856 nationally, and it has been gently easing in recent years. Its style leans vintage — tags you can match against your partner's picks in the combiner.
About Japanese names
Japanese names are usually written in kanji, so a single sound can hold many possible meanings — parents choose the characters as carefully as the pronunciation. Nature imagery runs deep: cherry blossoms, snow, sky, rivers. The sounds are clean and even, with soft consonants and open vowels, which is why names like Hana, Kenji, and Yuki carry so easily into English.
Meaning and origin are editorial; U.S. popularity comes from Social Security Administration public files.
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