Benjiro
An uncommon masculine Japanese name composed of "ben" (blessing) and "jiro" (second son).
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Benjiro. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Benjiro today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Benjiro births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Benjiro. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Benjiro. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,381
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Benjiro: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Benjiro by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Benjiro during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Benjiro
The name Benjiro is believed to have originated in Japan, with roots dating back to the early Edo period (1603-1868). It is a combination of two Japanese words: "ben," which means "protection" or "guard," and "jiro," a common suffix used in Japanese names meaning "second son."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Benjiro can be found in the historical records of the Tokugawa shogunate, where it was mentioned as the name of a samurai warrior who served under the renowned daimyo (feudal lord) Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late 16th century.
In the realm of Japanese literature, the name Benjiro is featured in the classic work "The Tale of Genji," written by the 11th-century court lady Murasaki Shikibu. In this seminal novel, Benjiro is portrayed as a minor character, a young courtier who appears briefly in one of the chapters.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Benjiro. One of the most famous was Benjiro Matsuhira (1822-1885), a Japanese statesman and diplomat who played a crucial role in the Meiji Restoration, the period of rapid modernization and Westernization in Japan during the late 19th century.
Another prominent figure was Benjiro Nishiwaki (1835-1886), a Japanese entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Toshiba Corporation, one of the world's leading electronics and technology companies.
In the realm of arts and culture, Benjiro Ozawa (1898-1975) was a renowned Japanese painter and printmaker, known for his vibrant depictions of traditional Japanese landscapes and scenes from daily life.
Moving into the 20th century, Benjiro Ishida (1920-2003) was a celebrated Japanese author and poet, whose works explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition with profound insight and lyrical beauty.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Benjiro throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of Japanese culture and society.
People
Benjiro + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Benjiro as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Benjiro: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benjiro?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Benjiro going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Benjiro a common name?
We classify Benjiro as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Benjiro most popular?
The single biggest year for Benjiro was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Benjiro is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Benjiro in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Benjiro a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Benjiro in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Benjiro still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Benjiro in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Benjiro can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Benjiro as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Benjiro, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.