blue

Serina (せりな)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: se-rʸee-nah [sé̞.ɾʲì.nà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
A couple of the most popular forms of this name use 芹 (seri) as the first element, referring to a plant known by various names like the Java water dropwort, water celery and Japanese (flat leaf) parsley. It can also be split into two kanji, most of which can be seen, along with na kanji, in the table below:

se (せ) ri (り) na (な)
瀬 “shallows, rapids” 里 “village” 奈 phonetic kanji
世 “generation” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 菜 “greens”
聖 “sacred, holy” 梨 “pear” 那 phonetic kanji
星 “star” 利 “advantage, benefit” 南 “south”
静 “quiet, calm” 理 “reason, logic” 名 “name”
清 “clean, pure, chaste” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli” 夏 “summer”
成 “growth, reach, attainment” 李 “Japanese/Chinese plum” 渚 “beach, shore”
勢 “force, vigour, energy” 吏 “officer” 凪 “calm, lull”
青 “blue” 凛/凜 “cold; dignified” 七 “seven”
晴 “clear, fine” 琳 “jewel” 愛 “beloved”
晟 “clear” 倫 “ethics” 波 “wave”
惺 “realise”

This name may be influenced by foreign names like Celina/Selina and Serena.

Popularity:
Similar to Sonoka, this name started rising in usage in the 1980s. By the start of the Heisei period (1989-2019), it was given to 0.025% of baby girls. When 芹 was selected as a jinmeiyō kanji in March 1990, usage levels continued to rise a bit further, to just over 0.05% in 1992. However, there was a jump in usage in 1993 to over 0.075%, peaking at close to 0.1% in 1997.
Since the peak, usage levels made a general gradual decline with a few occassions of little jumps. By 2009, just under 0.04% of girls received this name, stabilising throughout the 2010s onward.

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

Sonoka (そのか)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: so-no-kah [só̞.nò̞.kà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The first element is taken from 園(薗)/苑 (sono) meaning “garden, orchard, park.” It can also be split into two kanji, the second part written as either 乃/之 (no), referring to the possessive particle, or 野 (no) meaning “field.” Most kanji for the first part can be seen in the table below alongside some of the ones used for the second element:

so (そ) ka (か)
素 “plain” 佳 “beautiful, good”
想 “conception, idea, thought” 香/郁/薫/馨 “fragrance”
早 “early” 花/華 “flower”
初 “first, new” 加 “addition”
颯 “sudden, quick” 夏 “summer”
蒼 “blue” 果 “fruit”
奏 “playing music”* 歌 “song”
爽 “fresh”

* also used for the second element

Popularity:
The name started rising in usage in the 1980s, though usage levels at the beginning of the Heisei period (1989-2019) were within the 0.01% range. It rose to over 0.03% in 1994 and 1995, dropping slighty out in 1996 before peaking at around 0.045% in 1997. By 1999, it fell back down below 0.02%, largely remaining within the 0.01% range since then.

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

Haruku (はるく)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: hah-ruu-kuu [há.ɾɯ̟̀ᵝ.kɯ̟̀ᵝ]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is a combination of the element haru and a ku kanji, most of them included in the list below:

  • 空 meaning “sky”
  • 久 meaning “long time”
  • 玖, meaning “black jewel” but also refers to the number 9 in legal documents
  • 琥, part of 琥珀 (kohaku) meaning “amber”
  • 駈 meaning “run, dash”
  • 来/來 meaning “to come, arrive”
  • 句 meaning “section, sentence”

Popularity:
Usage of this name is relatively recent, having only risen in usage in the 2000s. Usage rose from less than 0.005% before the turn of the millennium to over 0.02% by the late 2000s and largely staying that way throughout the 2010s.
Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-21 names research, Haruku experience a jump in usage in 2021 with percentages averaging at well over 0.07% (compared to over 0.03% the year before). This jump in usage is influenced by Ōmura Haruku, son of comedian Ōmura Tomohiro, whose appearances were becoming increasingly frequent in that year (examples of Japanese articles featuring him here).

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

Seiko (せいこ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: se:-ko [sé̞è̞.kò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element of this name is mostly written as 子 (ko) meaning “child.” As for the first element, aside from being written phonetically, any kanji with the reading sei can be used, such as:

  • 聖 meaning “sacred, holy”
  • 誠 meaning “truth, reality”
  • 清/浄 meaning “clean, pure, chaste”
  • 成 meaning “growth, reach, attainment”
  • 晴 meaning “clear, fine”
  • 勢 meaning “force, vigour, energy”
  • 正 meaning “exact, precise”
  • 靖 meaning “quiet, peaceful”
  • 青 meaning “blue”

The first element can also be written with two kanji, either a se kanji, e.g. 世 meaning “generation,” or the above single kanji combined with an i kanji, e.g. 生 meaning “live, exist.”

Popularity:
With the explosion in usage of -ko names beginning in the second half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), Seiko was on the uncommon side of the spectrum with percentages going up to over 0.2% by the 1930s. It would remain around or below that level for a long while before briefly jumping in usage in 1964 to well over 0.8%. The year just so happened to be the year of the Tōkyō Olympics and many girls born with this name in that year had their names written as 聖子, in reference to the Olympic torch (referred to as オリンピック聖火 (Orinpikku seika), 五輪聖火 (gorin seika) or just 聖火, literally referring to a sacred fire/flame).
While usage dropped back down to 0.2% or below for much of the second half of the 1960s and the 1970s, come the early 1980s and it rose back up to well over 0.5% and the cause of that jump in usage is different: pop singer and songwriter Matsuda Seiko, regarded as one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. However, throughout the Heisei period (1989-2019), usage had already fallen from less than 0.05% in 1990 to less than 0.01% by 2009, remaining rarely used today.

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

Sono (その)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: so-no [só̞.nò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 園(薗)/苑 (sono) meaning “garden, orchard, park.” Nowadays, it is more common to be written with 2 kanji, so kanji used including 想 meaning “conception, idea, thought,” 蒼, generally meaning “blue,” 爽 meaning “fresh,” 奏 meaning “playing music,” 颯 meaning “sudden, quick” or 素 meaning “plain.” As for the second element, it is mainly written as 乃 (no), referring to the possessive particle, but it can also be written as 野 (no) meaning “field.”

Popularity:
By the latter half of the Edo period (1603-1868), usage of Sono, which was mainly written phonetically, had grown to be somewhat common with percentage levels, when combining data from Tsunoda and Collazo, at around 0.55%, placing it within the bottom section of the top 50. Like other names of this type, it began to fall down in popularity in the latter half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), becoming rarely used by the 1930s.
Regarding Heisei period (1989-2019) popularity, it was given to around 0.002-3% of girls throughout much of the 1990s, slowing rising to over 0.005% by 2000 before making a more steep rise to over 0.015% by 2004. Since the late 2000s, percentages remain stable at around the 0.02% mark.

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

Aozora (あおぞら)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: ah-o–zo-rah [à.ó̞.zó̞.ɾà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is taken from 青空 (aozora) meaning “blue sky.” The first kanji can be substituted with 蒼, 碧 or 葵, the third one referring to a mallow or other plants belonging to the mallow family, e.g. the hollyhock, and also a wild ginger, and the second kanji can be substituted with one that either shares its meaning or relates to sora, e.g. 天.

Popularity:
Overall usage of this name is rare with only just over 10 examples found on PDFs through search results and on FamilySearch and overall percentage from telephone book data calculated at less than 0.001% for both genders (usage tends to skew towards younger people). Except for any combinations with 葵 as the first kanji, all others tend to be most commonly read as just Sora.

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

Umi (うみ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: uu-mʸee [ɯ̟́ᵝ.mʲì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 海 (umi) meaning “sea, ocean.” It is also used as part of a compound which derives the noun 湖 (mizuumi) meaning “lake” (the first element being 水 (mizu) meaning “water”), this kanji also seeing rare usage among modern day babies.
Umi can also be written with two kanji, for which 海 can be used on the first or second. For the first element, any kanji with the (partial) reading u can be used, such as 羽 meaning “feather,” 宇 meaning “eaves, roof,” 佑/侑 meaning “help,” 詩, from uta meaning “poem,” or 美, from the adjective utsukushii meaning “beautiful.” For the second element, 美, 心 meaning “heart, mind” and 望 meaning “desire, wish, hope” are a few of the mi kanji in use for this name.
For the most part, two-kanji compounds are mostly feminine in usage, though a fair few do not proscribe to this notion. These examples include 宇海 (mainly masculine with some feminine usage), 佑心/佑海 (these two being mostly masculine) and 碧海/海碧/蒼海 (generally unisex). This last example includes kanji taken from the adjective 青/蒼/碧い (aoi), generally meaning “blue,” in reference to the colour of the sea.

Popularity:
Much of its usage for both genders is concentrated on those born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. In 1990, it was given to over 0.01% of girls and around 0.002% of boys, gradually increasing from the mid-1990s to over 0.04% of girls and just over 0.01% of boys by 2009. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, percentage levels have risen to over 0.13% for girls and just under 0.04% for boys.

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

Haru (はる)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: hah-ruu [há.ɾɯ̟̀ᵝ]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is generally derived from 春, referring to the season of spring, with other kanji with relation or connotations to this including 暖/温 meaning “warmth,” 華/花 meaning “flower” and 桜 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom)” (華/花 and 桜 mostly feminine). It can also be written with kanji that relate to 晴れ (hare) meaning “clear/fine weather” (陽/日 meaning “day, sun,” 青/蒼, generally meaning “blue,” 明 meaning “bright,” etc.) or 遥か/遙か (haruka) meaning “far off, distant” (悠 or 遼, 治 meaning “govern, manage,” 永 meaning “long,” etc.).
A ru kanji, like 琉/瑠, part of 琉璃/瑠璃 (ruri) meaning “lapis lazuli,” 流 meaning “current, flow” or 留 meaning “stop,” can suffix these single kanji alongside kanji with the reading ha, such as 羽 meaning “feather,” 葉 meaning “leaf” or 波 meaning “wave.”

Popularity:
The earliest example of this name being used for females was from the late Nara period (710-794) (back then suffixed with suffixed with 賣/女 (me)), found in Tsunoda’s book. It would not be found in his book again until you get to the section for the Kamakura period (1185–1333) with at least 4 examples found. By the early Edo period (1603-1868), it was already a somewhat commonly used feminine name (mainly written phonetically) with percentages at any one time not below 1%, which would stay that way through to the latter half of the Meiji period (1868-1912).
By the 1910s, Haru already started to drop down in popularity and it was at this time that rare masculine usage can be encountered. By the time the Shōwa period (1926-1989) started, it was already out of the top 100. It would remain rarely used for both genders throughout the middle and latter thirds of the Shōwa period before rising in the Heisei period (1989-2019). In this period, the gender proportion of this name has shifted, turning Haru to a mainly masculine name with significant feminine usage. It has been ranking in the boys’ top 50 for over 15 years now with percentages not below 0.4% while spending some of that time in the bottom half of the girls’ top 100, sometimes ranking within the top 50 there.

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

Kanoa (かのあ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: kah-no-ah [ká.nò̞.à]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is often written as a combination of 叶, in this case a sound shift from the verb 叶う (kanau) meaning “to come true (of a wish, prayer, dream, etc.), be fulfilled, be realised,” and an a kanji, such as 愛 meaning “love, affection” (mostly feminine), 空 meaning “space, room,” 蒼 meaning “blue” (mostly masculine), so on and so forth. As a substitute for 叶, a ka kanji, like 海 meaning “sea, ocean,” 奏 meaning “playing music,” 花/華 meaning “flower” or 和 meaning “harmony, peace; sum” can be written with an option to insert 乃 or 之, which can refer to the possessive particle no.
This name, especially pertaining to its masculine name, can be influenced by the Hawaiian name, which is derived from noa, which refers to freedom (from taboo or restrictions) or a commoner, with the singular definite article ka, as exemplified by the American-born surfer Igarashi Kanoa and given the unusually tight split in phonetic usage between hiragana and katakana (compare カノア and かのあ for girls in the Baby Calendar rankings data – かのあ is not shown for boys).

Popularity:
Usage for this name began rising in the 1990s and 2000s. While only a handful of boys named Kanoa popped up during that decade, by 2009, the percentage for girls rose to around 0.01%. Based on the aforementioned rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, over 0.03% of girls received this name as well as about half of that amount for boys.

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