What does Kenji mean?
Kenji is written variously as “healthy, strong” or “wise” together with “rule” or “two.”
What does Sora mean?
Sora means “sky” in Japanese.
Kenji vs Sora
Which is more popular?
Kenji is more popular than Sora today: about 249 US babies were given the name Kenji in 2025, compared with 63 named Sora.
| Kenji | Sora | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Strong; wise ruler | Sky |
| Origin | Japanese | Japanese |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KEN-jee | SOH-rah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1913 | 2004 |
| Peak year | 2022 (337) | 2022 (77) |
| In 2025 | 249 | 63 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Kenji
Sora
Source: US Social Security Administration.
Births by decade
| Decade | Kenji | Sora |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,692 | 342 |
| 2010s | 1,292 | 258 |
| 2000s | 889 | 63 |
| 1990s | 423 | 0 |
| 1980s | 359 | 0 |
| 1970s | 430 | 0 |
| 1960s | 104 | 0 |
| 1950s | 18 | 0 |
| 1940s | 23 | 0 |
| 1930s | 96 | 0 |
| 1920s | 213 | 0 |
| 1910s | 85 | 0 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kenji or Sora more popular?
Kenji is more popular than Sora today: about 249 US babies were given the name Kenji in 2025, compared with 63 named Sora.
What is the difference between Kenji and Sora?
Kenji means Strong; wise ruler (Japanese origin), while Sora means Sky (Japanese origin).
Which name is older, Kenji or Sora?
In US records, Kenji first appears in 1913 and Sora in 2004, so Kenji has the longer recorded history.