Kinji
A masculine Japanese name meaning "enduring path" or "enduring benevolence".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Kinji. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kinji today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kinji births was 1927 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kinji. 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 Kinji. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1927
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1927 SSA rank
#4,506
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Kinji: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kinji 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 Kinji during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kinji
The name Kinji is of Japanese origin, derived from the combination of the kanji characters "kin" meaning "gold" and "ji" meaning "second son." It is a name that has been in use for centuries, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 8th century AD during the Nara period of Japanese history.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Kinji was Kinji no Sukune, a powerful courtier and adviser to Emperor Shomu in the 8th century. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Kofuku-ji temple complex in Nara, which remains an important cultural and religious site to this day.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the name Kinji was associated with several notable samurai warriors. One such figure was Kinji Yoshitaka, a skilled archer and military commander who fought alongside the famed Minamoto clan in the Genpei War against the Taira clan in the late 12th century.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the name Kinji gained prominence among the merchant class and intellectual circles. Kinji Fukuzawa (1806-1869) was a prominent scholar and teacher who played a pivotal role in the modernization of Japan's education system during the Bakumatsu era.
Another notable figure from the Edo period was Kinji Nishi (1736-1800), a renowned painter and calligrapher who was highly regarded for his mastery of the literati painting style inspired by Chinese traditions.
In more recent history, Kinji Kikuchi (1888-1948) was a celebrated novelist and playwright who was active during the early 20th century. His works, such as "Chizakura" and "Ougon no Kuni," explored themes of social injustice and the human condition, earning him recognition as a leading voice in modern Japanese literature.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Kinji throughout Japanese history, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and significance of this name in the Japanese tradition.
People
Kinji + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kinji 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
Kinji: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kinji?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kinji 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 - US residents.
Is Kinji a common name?
We classify Kinji as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% 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 Kinji most popular?
The single biggest year for Kinji was 1927, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kinji is about 0 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 Kinji in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kinji a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kinji 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 Kinji still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kinji 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 Kinji 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 Kinji?
See how many people have the name Kinji on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.