NameCensus.
Very Rare

Ryujin

A Japanese masculine name meaning "sovereign dragon king" or "dragon god".

Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Ryujin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ryujin today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ryujin births was 2024 (9 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Ryujin. 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 Ryujin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

14

~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans

Peak year

2024

9 babies that year

Average age

6

years old

2024 SSA rank

#8,807

Tracked since 2012

Popularity

Ryujin: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Ryujin from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 9 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

0257920152020

Decades

Ryujin 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 Ryujin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2010s505
2020s909

Origin

Meaning and history of Ryujin

The given name Ryujin has its roots in Japanese culture, with a rich history spanning several centuries. The name itself is a combination of two Japanese words: "ryu" meaning dragon, and "jin" meaning deity or god.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ryujin can be traced back to the Kojiki, an ancient Japanese chronicle dating back to the early 8th century. In this text, Ryujin is depicted as the Dragon King, a powerful and revered deity associated with the seas and oceans. This connection to dragons and water deities suggests that the name may have been used by coastal communities or those with a strong maritime tradition.

During the Heian period, which spanned from the late 8th to the late 12th century, the name Ryujin gained further prominence. It was during this time that Japanese literature and art flourished, and the name was often used in folktales and legends to represent powerful and mystical beings. One notable example is the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a Japanese literary classic from the early 10th century, which features a character named Ryujin, the Dragon King.

Throughout Japanese history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Ryujin. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Ryujin Hossho, a Buddhist monk and calligrapher who lived during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). His works are still celebrated for their artistic merit and spiritual depth.

Another prominent figure was Ryujin Yamamoto, a famous swordsmith who lived in the late 16th century. His swords were highly prized for their exceptional quality and craftsmanship, and many of them are still preserved in museums and private collections today.

In the realm of Japanese theater, Ryujin Nakamura was a celebrated Kabuki actor who lived during the Edo period (1603-1868). He was renowned for his ability to portray a wide range of characters, from fierce warriors to subtle comedic roles.

Moving into more recent history, Ryujin Sakamoto was a notable Japanese author and poet who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human experience, and he is considered a significant figure in the literary renaissance of modern Japan.

Finally, Ryujin Suzuki was a renowned Japanese martial artist and founder of the Suzuki-ryu school of jujutsu. Born in the early 20th century, he dedicated his life to preserving and promoting the traditions of Japanese martial arts, and his teachings continue to influence practitioners around the world.

People

Ryujin + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Ryujin 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

Ryujin: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Ryujin?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ryujin 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 24,482,453 US residents.

Is Ryujin a common name?

We classify Ryujin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Ryujin most popular?

The single biggest year for Ryujin was 2024, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ryujin is about 6 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 Ryujin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Ryujin a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ryujin 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 Ryujin still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Ryujin 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 Ryujin 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 are called Ryujin?

You can see how many Americans are named Ryujin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.

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Ryujin

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