Junming
A Chinese masculine name meaning "brilliant" or "flourishing talent".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Junming. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Junming today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Junming births was 2015 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Junming. 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 Junming. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2015
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,012
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Junming: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Junming 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 Junming during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Junming
The name Junming is of Chinese origin, rooted in the Mandarin language and culture. It emerged during the Han Dynasty, which spanned from 206 BCE to 220 CE. Junming is a combination of two words: "jun," meaning gentle or refined, and "ming," signifying brightness or radiance.
The earliest known reference to the name Junming can be traced back to the Biographies of Eminent Monks, a historical text compiled during the Liang Dynasty (502-557 CE). In this text, a Buddhist monk named Junming is mentioned, though no further details about his life are provided.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Junming was a Tang Dynasty poet and calligrapher, Junming Hao, who lived from 844 to 923 CE. He was renowned for his mastery of the cursive script and his works are preserved in various anthologies.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), a scholar and government official named Junming Bao (992-1062 CE) gained recognition for his contributions to the civil service examination system and his writings on Confucian philosophy.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), a Buddhist monk named Junming Changkuan (1562-1639 CE) became influential for his teachings and his role in reviving the practice of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China.
Another notable figure was Junming Dong (1555-1636 CE), a military strategist and general who played a crucial role in defending the Ming Dynasty against the Manchu invasions in the early 17th century.
While these are some of the most prominent historical figures who bore the name Junming, it is likely that the name was used by many others throughout Chinese history, though records may be scarce or incomplete.
People
Junming + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Junming 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
Junming: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Junming?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Junming 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 Junming a common name?
We classify Junming 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 Junming most popular?
The single biggest year for Junming was 2015, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Junming is about 11 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 Junming in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Junming a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Junming 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 Junming still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Junming 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 Junming 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 common is the name Junming?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.