昊

Kōmei (こうめい)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: ko:-me: [kó̞ò̞.mè̞ː]
Variant transliterations: Komei, Koumei, Kohmei

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element of this name is mainly written as 明 meaning “brightness; clarity,” but other mei kanji can be used, e.g. 盟 meaning “alliance.” As for the first element, any kanji with the reading kō can be used, such as:

  • 幸/倖 meaning “good luck, happiness”
  • 煌 meaning “brilliant, bright, dazzling”
  • 孔, part of 孔子 (Kōshi), referring to Confucius
  • 康 meaning “peace”
  • 孝 meaning “filial piety”
  • 光 meaning “light; ray, beam, glow”
  • 洸 meaning “valiant, brave”
  • 昊 meaning “sky”
  • 皇 meaning “imperial”
  • 広/浩/滉 meaning “spacious, vast, wide”
  • 耕 meaning “tilling, cultivation”
  • 功 meaning “merit, success; achievement”
  • 航 meaning “navigation”
  • 好 meaning “good, excellent”
  • 高 meaning “high, tall”
  • 興 meaning “interest, entertainment”

When using 明 for the second element, this name can be linked to two words, 公明 meaning “fairness, openness, impartiality​” and 光明 meaning “bright light; hope, bright future.”

Popularity:
Usage of this name is rather uncommon. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, most boys receiving this name were born in Okinawa with occassional usage outside. Regarding Heisei period (1989-2019) popularity, percentages throughout the 1990s and the turn of the millennium stabilised at around the 0.01% range before rising throughout the 2000s to well over 0.03% by 2009. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, the average percentage from 2017-2020 is around 0.04%.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Sorato (そらと)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: so-rah-to [só̞.ɾà.tò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is made up of Sora (in this case, usually written as 空 meaning “sky”) and a to kanji, some of which include:

  • 翔/飛 meaning “fly, soar”
  • 斗, referring to the Chinese constellation known as the Dipper
  • 燈 meaning “light, lamp”
  • 音 meaning “sound”
  • 叶 meaning “grant, answer”
  • 人 meaning “person”
  • 士 meaning “warrior; samurai”
  • 仁 meaning “benevolence, compassion, humanity”
  • 都 meaning “metropolis”
  • 渡 meaning “crossing, passage”
  • 杜 meaning “shrine grove”
  • 冬 meaning “winter”

Popularity:
With the rise of Sora in the Heisei period (1989-2019), usage of Sorato picked up accordingly. In 1990, it was only given to around 0.001% of boys, rising to around 0.010% by 2000 and over 0.03% by 2007. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, the average percentage for that time frame is over 0.06%.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Sora (そら)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: so-rah [só̞.ɾà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name stems from the word 空 (sora) meaning “sky,” as a name also written as 昊, 宙, 天 and 穹. 大空 and 青空 (also, and more popularly, 蒼空 and 碧空) are also used, normally read as oozora and aozora and meaning “(literally) big sky, heavens, firmament, the blue” and “blue sky” respectively. The first kanji for aozora can also be used as a single kanji.
As far as other 2-kanji combinations go, the single kanji mentioned at the beginning are used as both a first and second element kanji. Other kanji in use for this type of combinations are shown in the table below:

so (そ) ra (ら)
奏 “playing music” 来/來 “arrival”
爽 “fresh” 良 “good”
想 “conception, idea, thought” 咲 “blossom”
颯 “quick, sudden” 楽 “comfort, ease”
壮 “vibrancy, strength, bravery” 桜 “cherry (tree, blossom)”
創 “making, building; start, origin, beginning” 愛 “love, affection”
星 “star”
翔 “fly, soar”
蘭 “orchid”
頼 “request, favour; trust”
礼 “gratitude; manners; gift”
麗 “lovely, beautiful”
大 “large, big”
虎 “tiger”

Image-based kanji combinations are not out of the question for Sora, most of which include:

  • 夏空, the first kanji meaning “summer”
  • 叶空, the first kanji meaning “grant, answer”
  • 希空, the first kanji meaning “rare” or part of 希望 (kibō) meaning “hope, wish, aspiration”
  • 輝空, the first kanji meaning “brightness, brilliance”
  • 幸空, the first kanji meaning “good luck, happiness”
  • 澄空, the first kanji meaning “lucidity, transparency”
  • 星空 – see the table above for 星
  • 美空, the first kanji meaning “beauty”
  • 夢空, the first kanji meaning “dream”
  • 優空, the first kanji meaning “gentle, elegant”

Simply put, the sky really is the limit for this name!

Popularity:
Although in use since at least the early 20th century, the name started to see its first signs of an increase in popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1990, it was given to just over 0.01% of both boys and girls. By the mid-1990s, the increase gets steeper, the percentages increasing to over 0.08% for boys and over 0.04% for girls by 1996, over 0.3% and over 0.12% by 2000 and over 0.84% and over 0.32% by 2007.
By then, Sora began to maintain its position within the boys’ top 20 and the lower half of the girls’ top 100, though over the past few years, the name flip flops out and back in the boys’ top 20, based on data from Baby Calendar, Tamahiyo and Meiji Yasuda Life.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Kōtarō (こうたろう)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: ko:–tah–ro: [kò̞ó̞.tá.ɾó̞ː]
Variant transliterations: Kotaro, Koutarou

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element of this name is most commonly written as 太郎 (tarō), a birth order suffix referring to an eldest son. Substitutes include 大 (ta) meaning “large, big,” 汰 (ta) meaning “wash, scour,” 多 (ta) meaning “many, much” and 朗 (rō) meaning “cheerful.” As for the first element, any kō kanji can be used, such as:

  • 幸/倖 meaning “good luck, happiness”
  • 孝 meaning “filial piety”
  • 航 meaning “navigation”
  • 晃/煌 meaning “brilliant, bright, dazzling”
  • 康 meaning “peace”
  • 洸 meaning “valiant, brave”
  • 光 meaning “light; ray, beam, glow”
  • 広~廣/弘/宏/浩/紘/滉 meaning “spacious, vast, wide”
  • 鋼 meaning “steel”
  • 甲 meaning “shell”
  • 公 meaning “monarch, ruler”
  • 晄 meaning “clear”
  • 虹 meaning “rainbow”
  • 耕 meaning “tilling, cultivation”
  • 鴻 meaning “large bird”
  • 昊 meaning “sky”
  • 興 meaning “interest, entertainment”
  • 荒 meaning “rough, wild, raw”
  • 鑛 meaning “ore”

Popularity:
Based on data from Collazo and merchant data available via Issendai, Kōtarō wasn’t used very much in the Edo period (1603-1868) but, from what I can gather from passenger lists, it did gain steam in the Meiji period (1868-1912), ranking somewhere around the lower half of the top 100 up to the 1910s when it began dropping off. From the 1950s to the 1980s, usage went up and down within the 0.05% to 0.2% range, though it did end up rising again starting in the late 1980s.
In 1990, it was given to over 0.24% of boys and though it did drop a little bit to over 0.2% by 1994, it rose again throughout the rest of the 1990s and 2000s. By 2007, it was given to over 0.65% of boys. Based on data from Baby Calendar, Tamahiyo and Meiji Yasuda Life as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, by that time period, the name was already starting to drop off and currently, it is being given to 0.3% or less of baby boys, effectively out of the top 50.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Akashi (あかし)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: ah-kah-shee [á.kà.ɕì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name can be used as 証 meaning “proof, evidence, sign,” derived from the continuative form of the verb 明かす (akasu) meaning “to reveal, divulge, expose; to prove, verify,” 灯 (also 燈 for this name), meaning “light, lamp,” also originating from this derivation.
These kanji, along with 朱 meaning “vermilion,” 暁 meaning “dawn, daybreak,” 昊 meaning “sky” and others, can be suffixed with a shi kanji, such as 史 meaning “history,” 志 meaning “will, aim, goal” or 司 meaning “office.”

Popularity:
Overall usage for this name is very uncommon, being in use since at least the Meiji period (1868-1912). However, the Heisei period (1989-2019) was the era which saw increases in Akashi’s popularity, particularly heading into the 21st century. Less than 0.01% of boys were given this name throughout the 1990s and 2000s, though according to my preliminary 2014-8 names research, the percentage rose to over 0.02% in that time period.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

More single kanji with interesting readings

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

This is a continuation to a name list that I’ve posted back in August which explores 10 single-kanji names with readings that I find interesting. Like last time, these five masculine and feminine choices are taken from my preliminary 2014-8 names research.
With that out of the way, let’s jump into the list, starting with:

  1. 想 (Nozomu) – for this first male name on the list, this reading comes from the verb 望む (nozomu) meaning “to desire; to wish for, expect; to see,” perhaps from the way someone wishes for an idea to come true
  2. 旦 (Hinode) – the reading for this next name comes from 日の出 (hinode) meaning “sunrise” with the kanji in question meaning “daybreak, dawn”
  3. 昊 (Oozora) – this next reading comes from 大空 (oozora) which literally means “big sky,” expanded to refer to the heavens, the blue or the firmament
  4. 樹 (Ritsu) – this reading comes from 立 (ritsu) meaning “stand, rise,” the verb 立つ (tatsu) also giving way to such readings as Tatsuki and Tatsuru
  5. 波 (Naru) – for the final male name on this list, this reading seems to be borrowed from Hawaiian nalu meaning “wave, surf” with both nami (the native Japanese reading) and nalu generally sharing the initial syllable
  6. 優 (Kokoro) – this first female name on the list has a reading which comes from 心 (kokoro) meaning “mind, heart, spirit,” intersecting well with the kanji in question, which has the meaning of “gentle, elegant”
  7. 怜 (Toki) – it seems as if this reading comes from 時 (toki) meaning “time” and one may think it is from the way one builds up their intelligence over time – regarding Onjōji Toki (園城寺 怜) from manga and anime ‘Saki’, from what I can tell, it may stem from her being able to predict one turn into the future in mahjong
  8. 晴 (Sayaka) – this next reading comes from the adjective 明/清か (sayaka) meaning “clear, fresh, bright,” referring to the fine weather
  9. 月 (Yue) – for this next female name, it is a Japanese approximation of Mandarin 月 (yuè)
  10. 朋 (Yukari) – this final female name on this list has a reading which comes from 縁 (yukari) meaning “connection, affinity,” seemingly referring to a bond or relationship between friends

What do you think? If you would like to add in your thoughts or other suggestions for this list, please share them in the comments below.