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Kenji as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kenji

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The baby name Kenji is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KEN-jee (Japanese: けんじ; IPA: /ˈkɛn.dʒi/; JP IPA: [keɲd͡ʑi]).

Kenji is Japanese in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Japanese
Pronunciation: KEN-jee (Japanese: けんじ; IPA: /ˈkɛn.dʒi/; JP IPA: [keɲd͡ʑi])

What is the meaning of the name Kenji ?

The baby name Kenji is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KEN-jee (Japanese: けんじ; IPA: /ˈkɛn.dʒi/; JP IPA: [keɲd͡ʑi]).

Kenji is Japanese in Origin.

Kenji is a Japanese masculine given name combining ken (健 “healthy/strong,” 賢 “wise,” 謙 “modest,” 憲 “law,” 研 “study/polish,” 兼 “concurrent”) with ji (二 “second,” 治 “govern,” 司 “administer,” 次 “next,” 児 “child,” 嗣 “heir”). Meaning depends on the chosen kanji; common pairings include 健二 “healthy, second [son],” 賢治 “wise governance,” 研二 “study, second,” and 憲司 “law, administrator.”

Used since the late 19th-century modernization of Japan, the name spread widely through the 20th century; bearers include author Miyazawa Kenji and filmmaker Mizoguchi Kenji. It appears among Japanese diaspora and occasionally internationally through pop culture. Variants are orthographic rather than phonetic: 健司, 健次, 謙二, 賢二, 研治, 健治, and more. Related names and longer forms include Ken, Kenshi, Kenichi, Kenjiro, and Kenzo; affectionate diminutives include Ken-chan. The consistent Romanized form is Kenji.

Kenji has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Kenji

Kenji Nojima Actor · Born 1976 · Japan Kenji Nojima is a Japanese voice actor and singer best known for his anime voice work. He is affiliated with Aoni Production, and one of his first major roles was Spark in Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight.

Celebrity babies named Kenji

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Kenji Fujimori Alberto Fujimori television presenter

Kenji – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
JP Boys 0 #6 966 7,909
JP 0 #26 54 4,057
HN Boys 0 #52 1 749
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
CN 0 #83 4 3,857
TW 0 #96 8 4,523
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
BN Boys 0 #136 4 6,332
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
Sweden Boys 2022 #179 4 1,509
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
AE 0 #186 2 10,220
MO Boys 0 #195 29 5,842
TW Boys 0 #201 41 7,111
Belgium Boys 2010 #204 24 397
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
LU Boys 0 #216 5 4,970
EC Boys 0 #245 2 3,322
JP Girls 0 #249 3 6,592
SG 0 #249 21 11,010
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
HK Boys 0 #267 362 12,905
HK 0 #286 63 8,483
MY 0 #286 45 12,352
TW Girls 0 #288 2 8,139
Canada Boys 2024 #291 16 2,588
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
CZ Boys 0 #303 3 6,530
CN Boys 0 #307 13 9,639
SA 0 #312 1 10,560
PE 0 #323 7 6,350
QA Girls 0 #343 1 15,378
PH Boys 0 #349 35 11,440
BR 0 #359 2 5,969
MU Boys 0 #365 5 8,477
France Girls 1996 #370 3 2,228
France Boys 2021 #371 17 2,865
PT Boys 0 #380 2 7,951
BO 0 #406 3 6,868
UY Boys 0 #412 2 5,922
PH Girls 0 #427 3 13,098
CL 0 #428 7 6,867
MX 0 #443 3 8,339
SD Boys 0 #466 1 10,523
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
SG Boys 0 #495 207 17,960
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
PA Boys 0 #501 5 9,305
CR Boys 0 #502 9 10,188
CO 0 #506 5 7,768
PA Girls 0 #518 1 9,861
RU Boys 0 #521 6 12,621
CM Boys 0 #541 10 12,054
CM Girls 0 #553 8 11,671
BO Boys 0 #559 34 9,244
KW Girls 0 #561 1 19,177
IR Boys 0 #564 2 10,162
CR Girls 0 #572 2 11,342
BH 0 #583 5 17,937
HK Girls 0 #587 29 16,104
United States Boys 2024 #617 283 7,044
SG Girls 0 #626 7 18,916
CL Boys 0 #639 27 13,390
BO Girls 0 #649 3 9,488
MY Boys 0 #650 515 25,439
Finland Boys 2026 #675 8 3,552
QA Boys 0 #694 14 18,093
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
BR Boys 0 #705 47 12,213
PE Boys 0 #721 159 14,506
KW Boys 0 #759 11 18,755
NG Girls 0 #825 2 15,093
TN 0 #863 3 13,765
NL Boys 0 #875 77 5,873
CO Boys 0 #882 39 15,656
CL Girls 0 #915 1 14,098
MX Boys 0 #915 68 16,355
OM Boys 0 #916 3 17,948
Spain Boys 0 #917 14 5,610
Germany Boys 0 #924 29 5,697
EG Boys 0 #924 2 15,035
United States Girls 2009 #927 7 9,986
NG Boys 0 #940 12 16,906
MY Girls 0 #979 16 24,821
PE Girls 0 #1,009 2 14,861
SA Girls 0 #1,012 3 25,931
IN Boys 0 #1,035 5 16,750
AE Boys 0 #1,069 24 22,615
CO Girls 0 #1,149 4 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #1,169 10 25,619
MA 0 #1,196 4 20,986
DZ 0 #1,229 6 20,130
TR 0 #1,251 4 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,267 1 17,781
IT Boys 0 #1,419 53 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,566 49 28,008

Kenji is popular in 60 countries — most recent births per country:

France
United States
Canada
Flanders, Belgium
Belgium

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People also ask about Kenji

Kenji is predominantly a boy's name.
Kenji is a 2 syllable name, pronounced KEN-jee (Japanese: けんじ; IPA: /ˈkɛn.dʒi/; JP IPA: [keɲd͡ʑi]).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include 健二, 健治, 賢治, 賢二, 乾司 and 謙二.
Across languages, Kenji has these equivalents: Ken (diminutive), Kenzo (Japanese), Ethan (similar 'strong'), Solomon (similar 'wise').
Yes — Kenji ranked #179 in Sweden in 2022, and appears in official birth registries across 6 countries.
Kenji ranks highest in Sweden (#179 in 2022).
Kenji's popularity is declining significantly. It moved from #304 in 2011 to #371 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 1 notable people named Kenji are in our database, including Kenji Nojima (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Kenji for their child, including Alberto Fujimori.