Shoji
A Japanese masculine name meaning "hereditary samurai warden" or "doorkeeper".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Shoji. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shoji today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shoji births was 1927 (81 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shoji. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Shoji is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Shojis were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shoji. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1927
81 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1945 SSA rank
#3,716
Tracked since 1913
Census
Shoji in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 262 people with the first name Shoji, which placed it at #32,242 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
#32,242
National first-name rank
People counted
262
262 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
88.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shoji
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shoji is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and White (1.5%). 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 Shoji 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 Shoji at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.2% · 231
- Two or more races8.4% · 22
- White1.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Shoji: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shoji from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 108 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shoji 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 Shoji during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shojis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Hawaii, California, Washington recorded the most babies named Shoji, while Washington, California, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shoji
The name Shoji is of Japanese origin, derived from the combination of two kanji characters: 'sho' meaning 'to prolong' or 'long-lasting', and 'ji' meaning 'son' or 'samurai'. The name's origins can be traced back to the 7th century, during the Nara period in Japan.
Historically, Shoji was a popular name among the samurai class, as it symbolized the desire for their lineage to endure and prosper. In some ancient Japanese texts, the name is mentioned in connection with legendary warriors and their heroic deeds, further solidifying its association with bravery and honor.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Shoji was Shoji Naozane, a renowned 12th-century samurai and military commander who played a pivotal role in the Genpei War between the Minamoto and Taira clans. His loyalty and strategic brilliance were celebrated in numerous medieval chronicles.
In the 16th century, Shoji Kakei, a skilled swordsmith, gained renown for crafting exquisite katanas for the samurai elite. His blades were renowned for their exceptional quality and artistic beauty, and many of his works are now preserved in museums as national treasures.
During the Edo period (1603-1867), Shoji Jingo, a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher, made significant contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time. His writings on ethics, governance, and social harmony influenced generations of scholars and leaders.
In more recent history, Shoji Natsuko (1886-1973) was a pioneering Japanese feminist and activist who fought tirelessly for women's rights and gender equality. Her advocacy efforts and writings played a crucial role in the women's liberation movement in Japan.
Shoji Masayuki (1915-1982) was a celebrated Japanese artist renowned for his intricate wood block prints depicting traditional Japanese landscapes and scenes from daily life. His works are celebrated for their technical mastery and ability to capture the essence of Japanese culture and aesthetics.
The name Shoji has a rich historical legacy, deeply rooted in the cultural and societal fabric of Japan. Its enduring popularity over the centuries serves as a testament to the name's symbolic significance and the profound impact of its bearers on various aspects of Japanese history and culture.
People
Shoji + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shoji as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shoji: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shoji?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shoji 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Shoji a common name?
We classify Shoji as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 134 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shoji most popular?
The single biggest year for Shoji was 1927, when 81 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shoji is about 90 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shoji in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 262 people with the name Shoji, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,242 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 Shoji 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 Shoji?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shoji leans strongly male. 256 people counted with this name were male (97.0%), compared with 8 female bearers (3.0%). 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 Shoji?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shoji is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and White (1.5%). 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 Shoji most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Shoji in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (231 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 Shoji in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shoji a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shoji 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 Shoji still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shoji 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 Shoji 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 many Americans are named Shoji?
See how many people have the name Shoji on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.