Jiraiya
Jiraiya was the 990th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 231 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 736th with 357 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,712 places. More babies were named Jiraiya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Japanese folk hero (from a Chinese tale) · Japanese
Say it jih-RY-uh /dʒɪˈɹaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #990 boys, up 91 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 231boys
- Girls and boys
- 7% girls, 93% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023357 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,409babies recorded
What does the name Jiraiya mean?
Jiraiya is the name of a ninja hero of Japanese folklore, from the 19th-century serial novel Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari and later kabuki plays. The written name 自来也 adapts a Chinese story about a thief who left the words 'I have come' (我来也) at the scene of his crimes. In the US the name comes from Jiraiya, a character in the manga and anime Naruto, and SSA first records it in 2007.
自来也 (Jiraiya) (Japanese, “folk hero's name; 'self-came'”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Chinese source tale and the Naruto influence are from secondary sources; no dictionary entry for the given name.
See also: Japanese names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry '自来也', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Jiraiya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,212 | #990 | 19 | 231 |
| 2020 | #11,547 | #1,081 | 8 | 184 |
| 2010 | — | #3,492 | — | 31 |
| 2000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Jiraiya, counting every spelling?
Jiraiya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #932 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #990 for Jiraiya on its own. Together these spellings went to 237 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jiraiya | 231 | #990 | 1,448 |
| Jiraiyah | 6 | #11,281 | 35 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jiraiya?
231 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jiraiya (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jiraiya born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 36 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jiraiya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jiraiya?
About 2,300 people born in the US named Jiraiya are alive today, with a median age of 4; half are between 3 and 7. That makes Jiraiya a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jiraiya by state
How common Jiraiya was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (6.0×), Nevada (2.6×), Arizona (1.7×), Texas (1.6×), Indiana (1.6×). In 19 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jiraiya: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jiraiya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jiraiya · Sibling names for Jiraiya
Questions about the name Jiraiya
What does Jiraiya mean?
Jiraiya means “Japanese folk hero (from a Chinese tale)” (Japanese origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Jiraiya?
Jiraiya was the 990th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 231 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 736th with 357 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,712 places. More babies were named Jiraiya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Jiraiya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 7% girls, 93% boys given the name Jiraiya in the US.
Where is Jiraiya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jiraiya was most common in New Mexico (1.00 per 1,000 boys), followed by Nevada and North Dakota.