What does Ren mean?
Ren is often written with the kanji for “lotus” or “love,” depending on the characters.
What does Kenji mean?
Kenji is written variously as “healthy, strong” or “wise” together with “rule” or “two.”
Ren vs Kenji
Which is more popular?
Kenji is more popular than Ren today: about 249 US babies were given the name Kenji in 2025, compared with 213 named Ren.
| Ren | Kenji | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lotus; love | Strong; wise ruler |
| Origin | Japanese | Japanese |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | REN | KEN-jee |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1915 | 1913 |
| Peak year | 2025 (213) | 2022 (337) |
| In 2025 | 213 | 249 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Ren
Kenji
Source: US Social Security Administration.
Births by decade
| Decade | Ren | Kenji |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,101 | 1,692 |
| 2010s | 759 | 1,292 |
| 2000s | 280 | 889 |
| 1990s | 192 | 423 |
| 1980s | 201 | 359 |
| 1970s | 33 | 430 |
| 1960s | 65 | 104 |
| 1950s | 70 | 18 |
| 1940s | 59 | 23 |
| 1930s | 19 | 96 |
| 1920s | 22 | 213 |
| 1910s | 17 | 85 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Ren or Kenji more popular?
Kenji is more popular than Ren today: about 249 US babies were given the name Kenji in 2025, compared with 213 named Ren.
What is the difference between Ren and Kenji?
Ren means Lotus; love (Japanese origin), while Kenji means Strong; wise ruler (Japanese origin).
Which name is older, Ren or Kenji?
In US records, Ren first appears in 1915 and Kenji in 1913, so Kenji has the longer recorded history.