Jiraiya is the name of a hero of Japanese folklore, a ninja who rides a giant toad; the characters are usually read as "young thunder". American parents know it from the Naruto manga and anime, where Jiraiya is the hero's larger-than-life mentor. In the United States the name was practically unknown before the 2010s, rose from number 2702 in 2015 into the top 1000 in 2021, peaked at number 736 in 2023 and ranks number 990 in 2025.