Ronin
A Japanese name meaning a wandering samurai without a master.
Name Census estimates that about 9,798 living Americans carry the first name Ronin. It sits at #493 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly male name (97.9% of registrations). The average person named Ronin today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ronin births was 2020 (813 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ronin. 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
- • Although Ronin is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 204 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • Ronin is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
9.8K
~ 1 in 34,982 Americans
Peak year
2020
813 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#493
Tracked since 1998
Gender
Gender distribution for Ronin
Ronin leans heavily male at 97.9% of total registrations, but 204 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ronin as a male name
- Ranked #493 in 2024
- 623 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (790 births)
Ronin as a female name
- Ranked #8,303 in 2024
- 13 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (23 births)
Popularity
Ronin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ronin from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 4,771 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ronin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ronin 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 Ronin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ronins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 45 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Ronin, while South Dakota, Maine, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 189 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ronin
The name Ronin has its origins in Japanese culture and is derived from the word "ronin," which refers to a samurai warrior who has no lord or master. This term dates back to the feudal era of Japan, around the 12th to 19th centuries.
Ronin were highly skilled and honorable warriors who, due to various circumstances, found themselves without a lord to serve. They often wandered from place to place, offering their services as hired swords or bodyguards. The life of a ronin was challenging, as they faced social stigma and financial hardships.
The earliest known historical reference to the term "ronin" can be traced back to the 12th century, during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and Taira clans. After the war, many samurai found themselves masterless and became ronin. The concept of the ronin became deeply ingrained in Japanese culture and has been portrayed in various literary works, such as the famous novel "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa.
One of the most notable ronin in history is Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), a renowned swordsman and author of the influential book "The Book of Five Rings." Musashi was a ronin for a significant part of his life and is celebrated for his mastery of swordsmanship and strategy.
Another famous ronin was Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659-1719), who served as a samurai under the Nabeshima clan. After the death of his lord, he became a ronin and later wrote the influential book "Hagakure," which outlined the principles and code of conduct for samurai warriors.
In the late 16th century, a group of 47 ronin, led by Oishi Yoshio (1659-1703), carried out one of the most famous acts of revenge in Japanese history. After their lord was wrongfully forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide), they plotted and executed a daring raid to avenge his death, becoming known as the "Forty-Seven Ronin."
The name Ronin has also been associated with individuals who embrace a lifestyle of independence and self-reliance, much like the wandering samurai warriors of old. It has become a popular name in modern times, particularly among those with an interest in Japanese culture and the samurai tradition.
People
Ronin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ronin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ronin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ronin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,798 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ronin 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 34,982 US residents.
Is Ronin a common name?
We classify Ronin as "Rare". It ranks above 97.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,874 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ronin most popular?
The single biggest year for Ronin was 2020, when 813 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ronin is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ronin a male name?
Yes, 97.9% of people registered as Ronin 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.
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.