| Sources | Pronunciation guide |
(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: mʸee-ro–kuu [mʲì.ɾó̞.kɯ̟́ᵝ]
Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name consists of a mi+roku combination, the first element including such kanji as 実/實 meaning “seed; fruit,” 美 meaning “beauty,” 弥/彌 meaning “increase” or 三 meaning “three.” For the second element, kanji in use there include 緑 meaning “green,” 禄 meaning “stipend, reward” or 六 meaning “six.”
It can also be written as 弥勒, referring to Maitreya, a bodhisattva who is regarding as a future Buddha. However, this writing is very rarely used for this name.
Popularity:
Overall usage for this name is rare with percentages not topping above 0.005% at any given time. As far as gender make-up across time is concerned, it was mainly masculine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, given how Miroku was mainly written at the time (mi + 六). By the Heisei period (1989-2019), it became more or less unisex but with a bit more masculine usage.
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Beyond Sakura and Hiroshi 