Raiden
Raiden is a masculine Japanese name meaning "thunder and lightning".
Name Census estimates that about 12,278 living Americans carry the first name Raiden. It sits at #449 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly male name (96.4% of registrations). The average person named Raiden today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raiden births was 2022 (968 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raiden. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Raiden with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Raiden is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 442 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • Raiden is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
12K
~ 1 in 27,916 Americans
Peak year
2022
968 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#449
Tracked since 1993
Census
Raiden in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,180 people with the first name Raiden, which placed it at #3,080 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,080
National first-name rank
People counted
7.2K
7,180 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raiden
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Raiden is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.8%) and Two or More Races (13.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Raiden described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Raiden at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.0% · 3,449
- Hispanic or Latino21.8% · 1,562
- Two or more races13.3% · 957
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.4% · 606
- Black or African American6.3% · 452
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 154
Gender
Gender distribution for Raiden
Raiden leans heavily male at 96.4% of total registrations, but 442 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Raiden as a male name
- Ranked #449 in 2024
- 702 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (934 births)
Raiden as a female name
- Ranked #5,245 in 2024
- 25 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (42 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Raiden leans strongly male. 6,902 people counted with this name were male (96.1%), compared with 280 female bearers (3.9%).
Popularity
Raiden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raiden from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6,405 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Raiden remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raiden by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Raiden during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raidens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 46 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Raiden, while Maine, Wyoming, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 236 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Raiden
The given name Raiden originates from Japanese culture and is derived from the combination of two words: "rai" meaning thunder, and "den" meaning transmission or flash. This name is closely associated with the Shinto god of thunder and lightning, Raijin, who plays a prominent role in Japanese mythology.
In ancient Japanese texts and folklore, Raiden is often depicted as a fearsome deity capable of summoning thunderstorms and unleashing powerful lightning strikes. The name carries connotations of strength, power, and the natural forces of nature. It was commonly used as a name for boys in hopes of bestowing upon them the attributes of the thunder god, such as courage, resilience, and determination.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Raiden can be traced back to the 8th century CE, during the Nara period of Japanese history. In the historical text "Nihon Shoki" (The Chronicles of Japan), there are references to a powerful warlord named Raiden no Suguru, who was renowned for his military prowess and leadership skills.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Raiden. One such figure was Raiden Tamenobu (1529-1602), a skilled swordsman and samurai who served under the famous warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the Sengoku period of Japan. Another prominent Raiden was Raiden Narimasa (1612-1691), a renowned poet and scholar of the Edo period, known for his contributions to the field of Japanese literature.
In more recent times, the name Raiden gained global recognition through its association with the iconic video game character of the same name from the "Mortal Kombat" franchise. Raiden, the God of Thunder, is a powerful and respected figure in the game's lore, often depicted as a protector of the Earth realm and a fierce combatant against evil forces.
Other notable individuals with the name Raiden include Raiden Inui (1932-2017), a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter who was a pioneer in the world of puroresu (Japanese professional wrestling), and Raiden Katayama (born 1987), a Japanese professional basketball player who has played for several teams in the Japanese B.League.
While the name Raiden is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and mythology, it has gained popularity worldwide, transcending cultural boundaries and appealing to those who appreciate its strong symbolism and connection to the powerful forces of nature.
People
Raiden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raiden as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Raiden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raiden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12,278 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raiden going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 27,916 US residents.
Is Raiden a common name?
We classify Raiden as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12,375 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raiden most popular?
The single biggest year for Raiden was 2022, when 968 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raiden is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Raiden in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,180 people with the name Raiden, or 2.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,080 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Raiden in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Raiden?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Raiden leans strongly male. 6,902 people counted with this name were male (96.1%), compared with 280 female bearers (3.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Raiden?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Raiden is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.8%) and Two or More Races (13.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Raiden most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Raiden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (3,449 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Raiden in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raiden a male name?
Yes, 96.4% of people registered as Raiden in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Raiden still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raiden in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Raiden can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Raiden?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Raiden at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.