double check the meaning

ok so i would like to double check the meaning of my japanese/ hawaiian friends middle name.

im ok in japanese, but his threw me off a little

it is "genji"

���� are the characters i got.

which if im not mistaken are the "orgins of the surname". which threw me off......

is this to be taken literal? like its just a name?

any input would be appreciated

thank you in advance

WHile taking apart the name into individual kanji, yes, that's what it means, but "Genji" is a very traditional, even fancy name, as in "The Tale of Genji."

Not all Japanese names make sense if taken apart and looked at literally. Genji happens to be a very old name with classical associations- the meaning of the individual characters is secondary. The Minamoto (��) clan was one of two clans battling for supremacy in Japan centuries ago, so that and the famous story mentioned by AK are the main associations of the name.

As mentioned, Genji is the name of the once biggest clan in Japan, but the meaning of this name is probably more closer to "Origin Clan."

The letter �� can also be read "Minamoto" and that's how all the surnames of the Gengi clan members were read. For example, there was a man called ������ (Minamoto No Yoritomo) which literally means "Yoritomo of Minamoto" or in other words he was Mister Yoritomo Origin. Yoritomo is the son of ���`�� Minamoto No Yoshitomo, in other words, Yoshitomo of Minamoto.

�� (shi) means "clan," and these Minamoto-related people as a whole is called ���� (Genji). Take a look at Japanese Wikipedia. In the table of contents, 2.1 to 3.15 are all ancient clans that belong to the Genji clan.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%BA%90%E6%B0%8F

For a more simple explanation on Genji, look at English Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genji

Only your friend's godparents would know the reason for the middlename, but one can assume that the godparents either liked the novel "Tale of the Genji" or they wanted the child to be as great as the biggest clan in ancient Japan.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

very helpful. i will tell my friend he has a lot to live up to :P