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[Jisho.org](https://jisho.org/search/%E5%99%8C%20%23kanji) lists 噌 as a
Jinmeiyō kanji. By my understanding this means that the Kanji is permitted to
be used for names, but is not considered commonly used for normal words.

But the word 味噌 (Miso) is still written with it all over the place. For
example the [Japanese Wikipedia
entry](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%91%B3%E5%99%8C) for it.

What's going on here?
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kanji names jōyō-kanji
Why is 噌 a Jinmeiyō kanji despite being used in 味噌?
According to Japanese
[戸籍法](http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=2161&vm=04&re=01)
(Family Register Act):

> 第五十条 子の名には、常用平易な文字を用いなければならない。  
>  Article 50 (1) For the given name of a child, characters that are simple
> and in common use shall be used.  
>  ２ 常用平易な文字の範囲は、法務省令でこれを定める。  
>  (2) The scope of characters that are simple and in common use shall be
> defined by Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice.

This is the legal basis of maintaining 人名用漢字 list. In other words, 人名用漢字 is a
remedial pool for "characters that are simple and in common use" enough to be
used in newborn names but not selected in 常用漢字 list. The fact conversely gives
人名用漢字 a certain connotation that it contains those secondly commonest kanji
next to 常用漢字 (although 常用漢字 is maintained by MEXT and 人名用漢字 by Ministry of
Justice). For example, in 2010, 129 characters were "promoted" into and 5 were
"relegated" from 常用漢字.

噌 was introduced in the 2004 expansion, which is largely prepared with a
purely frequency-based list, only removing some "obviously unsuitable for
name" kanji (糞, 呪, 癌...) in public comments. Thus some kanji hardly has
connection to given names. That said, 噌 is originally an onomatopoeic
character in Chinese with no intrinsic meaning, which means there is nothing
to prohibit you from using it as ateji as much as 味噌 is. A rare surname
[一噌](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%80%E5%99%8C%E6%B5%81) exists as a
Noh musician family.
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> By my understanding this means that the Kanji is permitted to be used for
> names, but is not considered commonly used for normal words.

This isn't really true. There are common words which use kanji which aren't
Jouyo or even Jinmeiyou.

I don't think it should be unexpected when looking up words, just less common.
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The jouyou kanji list regulates things like NHK broadcasts, government
reports, textbooks, etc. It does not regulate Wikipedia or daily everyday
writing. There are many kanji that are neither jouyou kanji _nor_ jinmeiyou
kanji, but are still used every day by Japanese people.
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