Neji
A Japanese name meaning "spiral", "whirlpool", or "twisting".
Name Census estimates that about 88 living Americans carry the first name Neji. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Neji today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Neji births was 2023 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Neji. 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 Neji. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
88
~ 1 in 3,894,936 Americans
Peak year
2023
14 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,580
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Neji: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Neji 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 53 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
Neji 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 Neji 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 Neji
The given name Neji is believed to have originated from the Japanese language, with its roots traced back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE) of Japanese history. The name is thought to be derived from the Japanese word "neji," which means "twist" or "spiral," referring to the intricate patterns and shapes found in traditional Japanese art and architecture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neji can be found in the classic Japanese novel "The Tale of Genji," written by the renowned author Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century. This literary masterpiece features a character named Neji, who plays a minor role in the intricate court life depicted in the novel.
Throughout Japanese history, the name Neji has been associated with various notable figures. One prominent individual bearing this name was Neji Yoshida (1619-1688), a renowned Samurai warrior and strategist who served under the powerful Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period.
Another historical figure of note was Neji Hirano (1904-1944), a Japanese poet and writer who gained recognition for his avant-garde literary works and his contribution to the modernist movement in Japanese literature.
In more recent times, the name Neji gained international recognition through the character Neji Hyuga from the popular anime and manga series "Naruto," created by Masashi Kishimoto. This fictional character, a skilled ninja from the Hyuga clan, has become a beloved figure among fans of the series, further popularizing the name Neji across the globe.
It is worth mentioning that the name Neji has also been associated with various other notable individuals throughout history, such as Neji Kobayashi (1891-1973), a Japanese businessman and philanthropist, and Neji Kawaguchi (1909-1963), a renowned Japanese ceramist and artist.
While the name Neji is primarily associated with Japanese culture and history, it has also found its way into other linguistic and cultural contexts, often adapted and pronounced differently based on local linguistic traditions and preferences.
People
Neji + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Neji as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Neji: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Neji?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 88 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Neji 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 3,894,936 US residents.
Is Neji a common name?
We classify Neji as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 89 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Neji most popular?
The single biggest year for Neji was 2023, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Neji is about 7 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 Neji in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Neji a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Neji 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 Neji still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Neji 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 Neji 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 Neji?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.