Kenshiro
A masculine Japanese name with meanings like "humble" or "modest person".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Kenshiro. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kenshiro today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenshiro births was 2004 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenshiro. 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 Kenshiro with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kenshiro. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2004
6 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2013 SSA rank
#13,153
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Kenshiro: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenshiro from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6 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
Kenshiro 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 Kenshiro during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kenshiro
The given name Kenshiro has its origins in Japanese culture and language. It is a masculine name that combines the elements "ken" meaning "sword" or "blade" and "shiro" meaning "castle" or "white." Together, the name can be interpreted as "one who wields the sword" or "white castle."
The name Kenshiro gained popularity in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868), which was a time of relative peace and cultural flourishing. It was often given to sons born into samurai families or those with martial arts backgrounds, reflecting the warrior spirit and the importance of swordsmanship in Japanese tradition.
While the name itself does not appear to be directly referenced in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its components have roots in Japanese mythology and literature. The "ken" element is associated with the legendary swordsmith Amakuni, who was said to have forged swords for the gods. The "shiro" element is evocative of the grand castles that dotted the Japanese landscape during the feudal era.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kenshiro dates back to the 17th century. Kenshiro Yoshida (1598-1668) was a prominent samurai and daimyo (feudal lord) who played a significant role in the Battle of Sekigahara, a pivotal conflict that marked the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kenshiro:
1. Kenshiro Abbe (1915-1985), a Japanese physicist and crystallographer, known for his contributions to the study of crystal structures and X-ray diffraction techniques.
2. Kenshiro Matsunami (1899-1992), a Japanese artist and printmaker, celebrated for his woodblock prints depicting traditional Japanese subjects and landscapes.
3. Kenshiro Hosokawa (1837-1917), a Japanese statesman and diplomat who served as the first Japanese ambassador to the United States in the late 19th century.
4. Kenshiro Teraji (1864-1923), a Japanese journalist and politician, who founded the influential newspaper Osaka Asahi Shimbun and served as a member of the House of Representatives.
5. Kenshiro Ishizaka (1925-2018), a Japanese scientist and immunologist, best known for his groundbreaking work on antibody formation and the development of immunotherapy for allergic diseases.
These individuals, spanning various fields and eras, have carried the name Kenshiro and contributed to the rich tapestry of Japanese history and culture.
People
Kenshiro + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenshiro as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kenshiro: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenshiro?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenshiro 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Kenshiro a common name?
We classify Kenshiro as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenshiro most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenshiro was 2004, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenshiro is about 18 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 Kenshiro in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kenshiro a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kenshiro 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 Kenshiro still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kenshiro 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 Kenshiro 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 share the name Kenshiro?
You can see how many people share the name Kenshiro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.