Jiraiya
A masculine Japanese name meaning "young thunder" or "thunder boy".
Name Census estimates that about 2,139 living Americans carry the first name Jiraiya. It is a predominantly male name (94.9% of registrations). The average person named Jiraiya today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jiraiya births was 2023 (373 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jiraiya. 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 Jiraiya with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Jiraiya is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 6 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 160,240 Americans
Peak year
2023
373 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#918
Tracked since 2007
Gender
Gender distribution for Jiraiya
Jiraiya leans heavily male at 94.9% of total registrations, but 110 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jiraiya as a male name
- Ranked #918 in 2024
- 252 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (357 births)
Jiraiya as a female name
- Ranked #5,679 in 2024
- 22 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (23 births)
Popularity
Jiraiya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jiraiya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 1,487 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jiraiya 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 Jiraiya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jiraiyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 31 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Jiraiya, while South Carolina, North Dakota, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 45 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jiraiya
The name Jiraiya is of Japanese origin, originating from the Japanese language. It is a compound word derived from the words "jiraya" and "ya". The word "jiraya" is believed to be derived from the Japanese term "gama" meaning "toad", while "ya" is a common suffix used in Japanese names.
The earliest known reference to the name Jiraiya can be found in the classic Japanese novel "The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya" written in the early 19th century. In this novel, Jiraiya is the name of a ninja skilled in magic and toad-related techniques. This literary character was likely inspired by the legendary Mount Myobu folklore, where tales of a ninja named Jiraiya were passed down orally for generations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Jiraiya was Jiraiya Gozen, a 14th-century Japanese samurai and poet. He was known for his skill in battle and his appreciation for the arts, particularly his contributions to the development of the renga (linked verse) poetic form.
In the 16th century, Jiraiya Masayuki was a notable figure in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was a skilled strategist and military commander who served under the renowned warlord Oda Nobunaga.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), Jiraiya Anko was a famous Kabuki actor and playwright. His works were instrumental in popularizing the art form and introducing new themes and styles to the Kabuki stage.
In more recent history, Jiraiya Tsuneo (1904-1962) was a prominent Japanese businessman and industrialist. He founded the Jiraiya Group, a conglomerate with interests in various sectors, including manufacturing and real estate.
Another notable figure with the name Jiraiya was Jiraiya Goke (1920-2005), a renowned Japanese calligrapher and artist. His works were widely acclaimed for their unique style and mastery of the art form.
People
Jiraiya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jiraiya 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
Jiraiya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jiraiya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,139 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jiraiya 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 160,240 US residents.
Is Jiraiya a common name?
We classify Jiraiya as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,154 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jiraiya most popular?
The single biggest year for Jiraiya was 2023, when 373 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jiraiya is about 6 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 Jiraiya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jiraiya a male name?
Yes, 94.9% of people registered as Jiraiya 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 Jiraiya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jiraiya 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 Jiraiya 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 are named Jiraiya?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Jiraiya at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.