Japji
A spiritual name originating from the Punjabi language, meaning "chant" or "recitation".
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the first name Japji. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Japji today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Japji births was 2019 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Japji. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Japji with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
164
~ 1 in 2,089,965 Americans
Peak year
2019
21 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,746
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Japji: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Japji from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 98 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Japji remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Japji 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 Japji during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Japjis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Japji
The name Japji is derived from the Punjabi language and has its roots in the Sikh religious tradition. It is believed to have originated in the 16th century during the time of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
The word "Japji" refers to the first composition in the Sikh holy scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. It is a sacred hymn that is recited by Sikhs as part of their daily prayers. The name is a combination of two words – "Jap" meaning "to recite" and "Ji" which is an honorific suffix used to show respect.
The Japji Sahib, as it is also known, is considered one of the most important compositions in Sikhism. It is believed to have been composed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji himself and is a poetic expression of the fundamental principles and teachings of the Sikh faith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Japji can be found in the Sikh historical records and literature, where it is mentioned as the name given to the first composition of the Guru Granth Sahib. Over the centuries, several notable individuals have been named Japji, including:
1. Bhai Japji (born around 1640), a devoted Sikh who is known for his service to the Sikh community and his martyrdom during the time of the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji.
2. Japji Kaur (1816-1837), the daughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the powerful ruler of the Sikh Empire in the early 19th century.
3. Japji Sahib Singh (1898-1983), a renowned Sikh scholar and writer who authored several books on Sikhism and Punjabi literature.
4. Japji Khaira (born 1985), a British Sikh actor and television presenter who has appeared in various British TV shows and films.
5. Japji Singh Khera (born 1998), an Indian cricketer who has represented Punjab in domestic cricket tournaments.
The name Japji holds significant religious and cultural significance within the Sikh community, as it is closely associated with the sacred composition that encapsulates the core principles and teachings of the Sikh faith.
People
Japji + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Japji as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Japji: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Japji?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 164 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Japji 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 2,089,965 US residents.
Is Japji a common name?
We classify Japji as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Japji most popular?
The single biggest year for Japji was 2019, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Japji is about 8 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 Japji in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Japji a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Japji in the SSA data are female. 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 Japji still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Japji 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 Japji 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 Americans are named Japji?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.