Ito (いと)

Sources

Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: ee-to [í.tò̞]

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Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 糸 (ito) meaning “thread, yarn, string.” Other single kanji used in relation include 絃/弦 meaning “(bow)string,” 綸 meaning “thread” and 絆 meaning “bonds, relationship; tether.” 愛 is also used, taken from the stem of adjective 愛しい (itoshii) meaning “lovely, dear, beloved.”
These single kanji can also be used as part of a two-kanji combination, inserted either in the first element or, more uncommonly, in the second element. The table below lists most of the kanji in use with colour markings indicating gender prevalence:

i (い)	to (と)
衣 “clothing”	都 “metropolis”
依 “reliance, dependence”	音 “sound”
維 “tie, rope”	采 “pick, choice, catch”
唯/惟 “only”	杜 “shrine grove”
結 “tie, bond”	人 “person”
偉 “greatness”	斗 “the Dipper”
一/壱 “one”	叶 “grant, answer”
伊 phonetic kanji	燈/灯 “light; lamp”
生 “live, exist”	桃 “peach”
彩 “colour”	冬 “winter”
	途 “road, path; way”
	登 “ascent”
	翔 “fly, soar”

Popularity:
In use since at least the Nara period (710-794) when feminine name were, for the most part, suffixed with 賣/女 (-me), Ito became a fairly commonly used feminine name in the Edo period (1603-1868) (when feminine names were mainly written phonetically), lasting into the first half of the Meiji period (1868-1912). By the end of that period, it was out of the top 100.
It would remain very rarely used for a long time until 2009 when Ohno Ito debuted as a fashion model (she would make her acting debut in 2011). Based on multiple survey sources, the Baby Calendar rankings data and my preliminary 2014-9 names research, Ito has seen a consistent rise for girls (and also for boys) in the second half of the 2010s and heading into 2020. In that year, well over 0.5% of girls received this name, placing it just outside the top 30. As for its usage as a boy name, it hasn’t made the top 100 yet with BC ranking it at 151st but given the upward consistency, it looks like it may enter the boys’ top 100 within the next few years.

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