Zijun
A Chinese name meaning "purple clouds" or "purple and bright".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zijun. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zijun today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zijun births was 2014 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zijun. 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 Zijun. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2014
5 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2014 SSA rank
#14,062
Tracked since 2014
Census
Zijun in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 412 people with the first name Zijun, which placed it at #23,670 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
#23,670
National first-name rank
People counted
412
412 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
93.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zijun
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zijun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Zijun 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 Zijun at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.4% · 385
- White4.4% · 18
- Black or African American1.7% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 2
Popularity
Zijun: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zijun 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 Zijun during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zijun
The name Zijun is a Chinese given name with origins dating back to ancient times. It is a combination of two Chinese characters: "zi" meaning "son" or "child," and "jun" meaning "cultured" or "refined." The name suggests a well-educated or refined individual.
In Chinese culture, names carry great significance and are often carefully chosen to reflect desired qualities or aspirations for the child. Zijun was a popular name choice for boys, especially among scholarly families who valued education and refinement.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zijun was a scholar and philosopher during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE). He was known for his profound insights and writings on Confucian ethics and philosophy. Unfortunately, many of his works have been lost to time.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), a renowned poet named Zijun lived and contributed significantly to the flourishing literary scene of the time. His poems were widely celebrated for their elegant style and deep emotional resonance.
In the 11th century, a Buddhist monk named Zijun gained recognition for his wisdom and spiritual teachings. He was known for his compassionate nature and his ability to guide others on the path of enlightenment.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, a prominent military leader named Zijun played a crucial role in the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864). He was respected for his strategic prowess and unwavering loyalty to the Qing Dynasty.
Another notable figure with the name Zijun was a pioneering scientist in the early 20th century. He made significant contributions to the field of physics and was instrumental in advancing scientific research and education in China.
Throughout history, the name Zijun has been associated with individuals who embodied the qualities of intelligence, refinement, and cultural accomplishments. It continues to be a revered and respected name in Chinese society.
People
Zijun + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zijun as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zijun: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zijun?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zijun 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Zijun a common name?
We classify Zijun as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zijun most popular?
The single biggest year for Zijun was 2014, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zijun is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zijun in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 412 people with the name Zijun, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,670 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 Zijun 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 Zijun?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Zijun on both sides of the split. Of the 412 people counted with this name, 237 were male (57.5%) and 175 were female (42.5%). 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 Zijun?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zijun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Zijun most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Zijun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (385 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 Zijun in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zijun a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zijun 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 Zijun still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zijun 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 Zijun 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 people are called Zijun?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.