Shigeru
One of Japanese origin meaning "to become mature/accomplished".
Name Census estimates that about 26 living Americans carry the first name Shigeru. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shigeru today is around 97 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shigeru births was 1921 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shigeru. 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
- • The typical person named Shigeru is about 97 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Shigerus were born before 1939.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shigeru. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
26
~ 1 in 13,182,859 Americans
Peak year
1921
42 babies that year
Average age
97
years old
1938 SSA rank
#3,965
Tracked since 1910
Census
Shigeru in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 338 people with the first name Shigeru, which placed it at #27,177 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#27,177
National first-name rank
People counted
338
338 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
94.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shigeru
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shigeru is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (0.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Shigeru described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Shigeru at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.7% · 320
- Two or more races3.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.9% · 3
- White0.3% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Shigeru: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shigeru from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 317 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shigeru 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 Shigeru during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shigerus live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Hawaii, California, Washington recorded the most babies named Shigeru, while Washington, California, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 160 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shigeru
The name Shigeru originates from the Japanese language and has its roots dating back to the 8th century AD. It is a combination of two Japanese words, "shige" meaning "discipline" or "diligence," and "ru" meaning "to become." Together, the name Shigeru conveys a sense of striving for excellence and self-improvement through disciplined effort.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shigeru can be found in the ancient Japanese literary work, the Kojiki, which chronicles the mythological origins of Japan. In this text, Shigeru is mentioned as the name of a minor deity associated with agricultural practices and the cultivation of rice.
Throughout the centuries, the name Shigeru has been borne by several notable figures in Japanese history. One such individual was Shigeru Yoshida, a prominent Japanese politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1948 to 1954. He played a crucial role in shaping Japan's post-World War II policies and fostering strong ties with the United States.
Another famous bearer of the name Shigeru was Shigeru Mizuki, a renowned Japanese manga artist and writer who lived from 1922 to 2015. His works, which often explored themes of Japanese folklore and the supernatural, gained widespread popularity and influenced generations of manga artists.
In the world of sports, Shigeru Chiba, a Japanese gymnast born in 1935, made a significant impact. He won two gold medals and one silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, cementing his place as one of Japan's most celebrated gymnasts.
Shigeru Miyamoto, born in 1952, is a renowned video game designer and producer who has been instrumental in creating some of the most iconic and beloved video game franchises, such as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. His innovative and creative approach has greatly influenced the gaming industry and popular culture.
The name Shigeru has transcended its Japanese origins and has been adopted by individuals from various cultural backgrounds worldwide. However, its deep-rooted meaning and association with discipline, diligence, and self-improvement remain central to its essence, making it a name that resonates with aspirations of personal growth and excellence.
People
Shigeru + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shigeru 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
Shigeru: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shigeru?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 26 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shigeru 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 13,182,859 US residents.
Is Shigeru a common name?
We classify Shigeru as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 591 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shigeru most popular?
The single biggest year for Shigeru was 1921, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shigeru is about 97 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shigeru in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 338 people with the name Shigeru, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,177 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Shigeru in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Shigeru?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shigeru leans strongly male. 334 people counted with this name were male (97.7%), compared with 8 female bearers (2.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Shigeru?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shigeru is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (0.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Shigeru most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Shigeru in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (320 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Shigeru in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shigeru a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shigeru 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 Shigeru still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shigeru 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 Shigeru 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.
How many Americans are named Shigeru?
Want to know how many Americans are named Shigeru? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.