Yushin
A Japanese name meaning "courageous" or "having true spirit".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Yushin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yushin today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yushin births was 2021 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yushin. 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 Yushin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2021
6 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,097
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Yushin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yushin 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 6 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
Yushin 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 Yushin 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 Yushin
The given name Yushin has its origins in Japanese culture, traced back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan. The name is derived from the Japanese words "yu," meaning "superiority" or "excellence," and "shin," meaning "truth" or "faith." Therefore, the name Yushin can be interpreted as "superior truth" or "excellent faith."
In Japanese history, the name Yushin first appeared in the 11th century, associated with the Buddhist monk Yushin Shonin, who lived from 1023 to 1107 CE. Yushin Shonin was a renowned Buddhist scholar and the founder of the Hosso sect of Japanese Buddhism.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Yushin can be found in the "Genpei Josuiki," a historical chronicle that documented the Genpei War (1180-1185 CE) between the Minamoto and Taira clans. The text mentions a samurai warrior named Yushin no Masasada, who fought for the Minamoto clan.
Throughout Japanese history, several notable figures have borne the name Yushin. Among them was Yushin Takayoshi (1828-1894), a prominent Japanese statesman and diplomat during the Meiji Restoration period. He played a crucial role in modernizing Japan's diplomatic relations and establishing its embassies abroad.
Another famous Yushin was Yushin Hirai (1859-1926), a Japanese painter and art instructor who was instrumental in introducing Western-style painting techniques to Japan. His works often depicted landscapes and traditional Japanese subjects.
In the realm of literature, Yushin Kurata (1892-1965) was a renowned Japanese author and poet. He is best known for his novels and short stories that explored the themes of alienation and the human condition in modern society.
Lastly, Yushin Okami (1923-2015) was a celebrated Japanese actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his long career. He is particularly remembered for his portrayal of samurai and historical characters.
While the name Yushin has its roots in Japan, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among those with an appreciation for Japanese culture and history.
People
Yushin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yushin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yushin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yushin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yushin 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Yushin a common name?
We classify Yushin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yushin most popular?
The single biggest year for Yushin was 2021, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yushin is about 8 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 Yushin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yushin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yushin 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 Yushin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yushin 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 Yushin 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 Yushin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.