Kenji is a Japanese name whose meaning depends on the kanji chosen; the most common readings are "strong second son", "healthy and wise" or "intelligent and second", since ji often marks a second-born son. It is one of the Japanese names Americans know best, partly through the chef and author J. Kenji López-Alt. Kenji climbed from number 1983 in 2000 into the US top 1000 in 2020, peaked at number 754 in 2022 and ranks number 944 in 2025.