Shigenobu
Composed of the Japanese elements "shige" meaning "prosperity" and "nobu" meaning "truth" or "principle".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Shigenobu. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shigenobu today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shigenobu births was 1915 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shigenobu. 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 Shigenobu. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#3,774
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Shigenobu: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Shigenobu 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 Shigenobu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Shigenobu
The name Shigenobu has its origins in the Japanese language and culture, with the earliest known examples dating back to the 8th century CE. It is a compound name, formed by combining the Japanese words "shige" meaning "flourishing" or "prosperous," and "nobu," which means "延ばす" or "to prolong."
In ancient Japan, names were often chosen to reflect the hopes and aspirations of parents for their children's future. The name Shigenobu was likely given with the intention of wishing for a long and prosperous life for the child. It was a popular name among the aristocratic classes and the samurai warrior caste.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Shigenobu can be found in the Kojiki, an ancient Japanese chronicle dating back to 712 CE. The Kojiki mentions a nobleman named Shigenobu no Omi, who served as a provincial governor during the reign of Emperor Tenmu in the late 7th century.
In the 12th century, the name gained further prominence with the rise of the legendary samurai warrior, Shigenobu Taira. Born in 1141, Shigenobu Taira was a member of the powerful Taira clan and played a significant role in the Genpei War, a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans that ultimately led to the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate.
Another notable figure in Japanese history bearing the name Shigenobu was Shigenobu Ikeda, a 16th-century daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled over the Okayama Domain. Shigenobu Ikeda was known for his military prowess and his contributions to the development of the Okayama region.
In the world of Japanese literature, the name Shigenobu is associated with the renowned Edo-period poet and scholar, Shigenobu Matsudaira. Born in 1610, Shigenobu Matsudaira was a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time and is celebrated for his contributions to the development of the haiku form.
Lastly, in more recent times, the name Shigenobu has been carried by Shigenobu Okuma, a prominent Japanese statesman and diplomat of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Shigenobu Okuma served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1914 to 1916 and played a pivotal role in Japan's modernization and westernization efforts during the Meiji Era.
People
Shigenobu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shigenobu as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shigenobu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shigenobu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shigenobu 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 Shigenobu a common name?
We classify Shigenobu 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, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shigenobu most popular?
The single biggest year for Shigenobu was 1915, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shigenobu 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 Shigenobu in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shigenobu a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shigenobu 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 Shigenobu still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shigenobu 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 Shigenobu 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 Shigenobu?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.