Kaizen
Boy name · #364 in 2025 · Distinctive
Kaizen is currently the #364 boy name in the United States — 895 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2328, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 2,011 boys born in 2025 was named Kaizen.
Babies named Kaizen per year. Source: SSA.
The 21-year story
Kaizen first appears in the Social Security records in 2004, when 6 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 895 babies and a rank of #364. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kaizen against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kaizen in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Kaizen is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "distinctive". That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Kaizen is most common
Geography matters for names, and Kaizen is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Kaizen is most common in HI (3.4 per 1,000), MS (2.2 per 1,000), LA (1.5 per 1,000), AL (1.2 per 1,000), GA (1.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.6 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Kaizen is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Kaizen
Statistically, parents drawn to Kaizen tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Chozen, Kohen, Chosen, Kyaire, and Colsen.
ChozenKohenChosenKyaireColsenEidenKaysenKayce
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kaizen | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 895 | #364 |
| 2024 | 608 | #502 |
| 2023 | 487 | #587 |
| 2022 | 257 | #902 |
| 2021 | 158 | #1218 |
| 2020 | 103 | #1579 |
| 2019 | 81 | #1849 |
| 2018 | 78 | #1901 |
| 2017 | 63 | #2154 |
| 2016 | 51 | #2477 |
| 2015 | 56 | #2328 |
| 2014 | 42 | #2805 |
| 2013 | 34 | #3189 |
| 2012 | 26 | #3894 |
| 2011 | 19 | #4822 |
| 2010 | 15 | #5741 |
| 2009 | 18 | #5102 |
| 2008 | 18 | #5067 |
| 2007 | 11 | #7094 |
| 2006 | 5 | #12055 |
| 2005 | 8 | #8299 |
| 2004 | 6 | #9948 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kaizen a popular boy name?
Kaizen ranked #364 among boys in 2025 with 895 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #2328.
When was the name Kaizen most popular?
Kaizen peaked in 2025, when 895 American boys received the name (ranked #364 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Kaizen?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 2,011 newborn American boys was named Kaizen. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.