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Sorato (そらと)

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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.

Akua (あくあ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: ah-kuu-a [á.kɯ̟̀ᵝ.à]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is a borrowing of the Latin word aqua meaning “water.” Most of the kanji used for this name are included in the table below:

a (あ) ku (く)*
亜 phonetic kanji 久 “long time”
愛 “love, affection” 玖 “black jewel; nine”
杏 “apricot” 来/來 “to come, arrive”
阿 phonetic kanji 紅 “crimson”
青/碧 “blue”
茜 “Japanese madder”
空 “space, room”**
海 “sea, ocean”**

* can be elided
** can also be part of a+空/海 combination

Popularity:
Mostly in use among those born from the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards, this name is, for the most part, rarely used. Yearly percentages for both genders are mostly 0.003% or less, peaking at no more than 0.005%.

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

Nanase (ななせ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: nah-nah-se [ná.nà.sè̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
For the first element of this name, 七, referring to the numeral seven, is the main kanji used (虹, normally read as niji with the meaning “rainbow,” is an uncommon substitute, referring to its seven colours). Mainly a feminine occurrence, a na kanji, like 奈, 那 or 菜 meaning “greens,” can be combined with the kanji repeating marker 々, another na kanji or a repear of the first one.
As for the second element, any kanji that can be read as (or otherwise shift to) se is used. They include:

  • 星 meaning “star”
  • 瀬 meaning “shallows, rapids”
  • 聖 meaning “sacred, holy”
  • 生 meaning “live, living”
  • 彩 meaning “colouring”
  • 雪 meaning “snow”
  • 惺 meaning “realise”
  • 晟 meaning “clear”
  • 青 meaning “blue”
  • 彗, part of 彗星 (suisei) meaning “comet”
  • 咲 meaning “blossom”
  • 世 meaning “generation”

Popularity:
Rising in usage in the 1980s and 1990s, the name was originally given to over 0.02% of girls in the early 1990s with the rise gradually steepening for the next few years until around late 1995 when influence from rock and pop singer Aikawa Nanase led the name to its first peak, percentages for the next several years from 1997 ranging between 0.09% and 0.10%. At the same time, usage for boys grew to just under 0.01% by 2000.
Since the early 2000s, usage of this name dropped for both genders and by 2009, over 0.04% of baby girls received this name along with around 0.005% of boys. However, based on my preliminary 2014-9 names research combined with Baby Calendar rankings data, the name has been on the rise again with average percentages at well over 0.08% for girls and 0.01% for boys.

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

Sora (そら)

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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.

Rui (るい)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: ruu-ee [ɾɯ̟́ᵝ.ì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Single kanji in use for this name include 塁 meaning “fortress, stronghold,” 類 meaning “kind, sort, type, class,” 累 meaning “implication, involvement​” and 涙 meaning “tear(s); sympathy.” A ru/ryū kanji like 琉/瑠, part of 琉璃/瑠璃 (ruri) meaning “lapis lazuli,” 流 meaning “current, flow” and 留 meaning “stop” can be used as single kanji, though they are more likely to be part of a 2-kanji combination, the i kanji in use including:

  • 生 meaning “live, exist”
  • 衣 meaning “clothing”
  • 伊, a phonetic kanji
  • 偉 meaning “greatness”
  • 唯/惟 meaning “only”
  • 依 meaning “reliance, dependence”
  • 海 meaning “sea, ocean”
  • 維 meaning “tie, rope”
  • 一/壱 meaning “one”
  • 聖 meaning “sacred, holy”
  • 星 meaning “star”
  • 愛 meaning “beloved”
  • 以, a phonetic kanji
  • 葵, referring to a mallow (e.g. hollyhock) or a wild ginger; part of 向日葵 (himawari) “sunflower”
  • 碧 meaning “blue”
  • 李 meaning “Japanese/Chinese plum”
  • 泉 meaning “(natural) spring, fountain”
  • 芽 meaning “bud, sprout”
  • 色 meaning “colour”
  • 心 meaning “heart, mind”
  • 威 meaning “power, authority, might”
  • 良 meaning “good”
  • 郁 meaning “cultural progress”

Male usage of this name can be influenced by foreign names that can be rendered as Rui in Japanese, such as the French name Louis and the Portuguese name Ruy.

Popularity:
By the late Edo period (1603-1868), Rui was already in use as a somewhat slightly uncommon feminine name with percentages, based on Tsunoda and Collazo, ranging somewhere between 0.1% and 0.25%. As with most short feminine names popular in that period, the name began to decrease in popularity in the latter half of the Meiji period (1868-1912) and it didn’t start going back up until the 1970s in which, by then, it began to gain a bit of traction as a masculine name but not enough to overtake feminine usage.
Moving on to Heisei period (1989-2019) popularity, in 1990, it was given to just under 0.06% for girls and over 0.025% for boys. The name rose steadily for girls, reaching to over 0.14% by 2007 before generally flattening in the late 2000s and 2010s. As for boys, usage started to increase more steeply in 1993, rising to over 0.05% by 1994, over 0.06% by 1996 and over 0.13% by 2000. The start of Rui’s rise as a masculine name seems to be influenced by former football player and manager Ruy Ramos who was a member of the Japan team that won the 1992 Asian Cup and played 4 matches in the competition (originally from Brazil, he gained Japanese citizenship in 1989).
By 2007, it was ranking within the top 50 with over 0.5% of boys receiving this name and, based on data from Baby Calendar, Tamahiyo and Meiji Yasuda Life, it remains in the boys’ top 50 ever since.

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

Aoi (あおい)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: ah-o–ee [à.ó̞.í]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The most commonly used form of this name is 葵, which refers to a mallow or other plants belonging to the mallow family, e.g. the hollyhock, and also a wild ginger (the form mainly used for females, but is sometimes used on males as well). It is generally thought to derive from the stem of verb 仰ぐ (aogu) meaning “to look up to, respect, revere; to seek; to depend/rely on” combined with 日 (hi) meaning “day,” in reference to its heliotropism. It can also be written as 碧, 蒼 or 青, from the adjective which nowadays has the general meaning of “blue,” but also meant “green” until recently and is still used to refer to that colour in certain things today (e.g. traffic lights and leaves). Compared to 葵, this way of writing Aoi is mainly used for males with some feminine usage. 藍, shifted from ai meaning “indigo,” is also occasionally used.
These single kanji can occasionally follow an a kanji, such as 愛 meaning “love, affection” or 彩 meaning “colour,” 明 meaning “bright” or 亜 (向葵 is also used, stemming from 向日葵 (himawari), which refers to a sunflower). It is more likely however that these single kanji are suffixed with a kanji that can be read as i, some of which include:

  • 生 meaning “live, exist”
  • 唯/惟 meaning “only”
  • 衣 meaning “clothing”
  • 依 meaning “reliance, dependence”
  • 彩 see above
  • 海 meaning “sea, ocean”***
  • 一/壱 meaning “one”*
  • 士 meaning “warrior; samurai”*
  • 叶 meaning “grant, answer”
  • 音 meaning “sound”
  • 空/天 meaning “sky”***
  • 愛 meaning “beloved”**
  • 李 meaning “Japanese/Chinese plum”
  • 泉 meaning “(natural) spring, fountain”
  • 大 meaning “large, big”*
  • 陽/日 see above
  • 心 meaning “heart, mind”
  • 維 meaning “tie, rope”
  • 結 meaning “tie, bond”**

* mostly used on males
** mostly used on females
*** mostly follows a kanji for “blue” in reference to the sea/sky’s colour

Popularity:
In use since at least the second half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), the name didn’t start seeing an increase in usage until the 1970s. By 1990, over 0.24% of girls and over 0.01% of boys received this name, placing Aoi just below the top 100 for girls. As time goes on, usage for both genders increase to the point that the name has, for the most part, maintained its position within the girls’ top 10 and stayed within the boys’ top 100 since the late 2000s.
Based on survey data from Baby Calendar, Tamahiyo and Meiji Yasuda Life as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, average percentages for that time period were at well over 1.1% for girls and over 0.7% for boys, the boys’ average percentage, in particular, on the up compared to the early third of the decade where Aoi sometimes ranked within the lower section of the top 50 but mostly ranked below it (meaning that percentages back then may have peaked at over 0.4%).

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

Sōta (そうた)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: so:-tah [só̞ò̞.tà]
Variant transliterations: Sota, Souta, Sohta

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element of this name is most commonly written as 太 meaning “plump, thick,” with other ta kanji in use including 大 meaning “large, big,” 汰 meaning “wash, scour” and 多 meaning “many, much.” Second element kanji that are used more recently have ta as part of a reading (be it Sino-Japanese, native or name) and they include:

  • 泰 meaning “quiet, peaceful; great, excessive”
  • 空/天 meaning “sky”
  • 詩 meaning “poem”
  • 龍/竜 meaning “dragon”
  • 達 meaning “reach, arrive, attain”
  • 樹 meaning “tree”

As for the first element, any kanji with the reading sō can be used, most of them including:

  • 颯* meaning “sudden, quick”
  • 蒼 meaning “blue”
  • 壮 meaning “vibrancy, strength, bravery”
  • 創 meaning “making, building; start, origin, beginning”
  • 聡 meaning “wise”
  • 奏 meaning “playing music”
  • 爽 meaning “fresh”
  • 想 meaning “conception, idea, thought”
  • 湊 meaning “harbour, port”
  • 草 meaning “grass”
  • 早 meaning “early”
  • 宗 meaning “sect”
  • 綜 meaning “rule, synthesise”
  • 惣/総 meaning “whole, all”
  • 相 meaning “appearance, look”
  • 崇 meaning “respect”

* 楓, meaning “maple,” is also occasionally used for its similarity to 颯

Popularity:
This name was already in use by the Meiji period (1868-1912), though it was very uncommon at the time, becoming very rare before World War II. It would not start increasing again until the 1970s and 1980s.
By 1990, it was given to over 0.07% of boys, gradually increasing to over 0.25% by 1996 before jumping a tad more steeply to over 0.75% by 2000 and over 1.35% by 2004. Around that time, Sōta was already ranking within the top 10. Since the mid-2010s, Sōta is consistently ranked in 2nd place with an average of over 1.5%, well behind the top ranking boy name Haruto.

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

Noa (のあ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

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

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Here are most of the kanji used for this name:

no (の) a (あ)
乃/之 phonetic kanji* 愛 “love, affection”
希/望/稀 “desire, wish, hope” 空 “space, room”
叶 “grant, answer” 蒼/碧 “blue”
音 “sound” 彩 “colour”
野/埜 “field” 歩 “step”
祈 “prayer” 亜/亞 phonetic kanji
能 “talent, gift” 杏 “apricot”
心 “heart, mind” 葵 “hollyhock; wild ginger;” part of 向日葵 (himawari) “sunflower”
夢 “dream” 綾 “figure, design”
和 “calm, gentle” 綺 “thin silk;” part of 綺麗 (kirei) “pretty; clean”
暖 “warmth” 羽 “feather”
和 “harmony, peace”
麻 “hemp, flax”
吾 phonetic kanji**
天 “sky; heaven”
秋 “autumn”
明 “bright”
絢 “gorgeous, brilliant”
朱 “vermilion”
茜 “Japanese madder”
藍 “indigo”

* can refer to the possessive particle
** can refer to the formal/literary 1st person pronoun

Masculine usage of this name may be inspired by the Biblical name Noah.

Popularity:
This name is mostly used on people born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. In 1990, it was given to only over 0.005% of girls and very little in the way of usage for boys. The name slowly increased in usage in the mid-1990s, though by 1997, the increase started to steepen.
By 2000, over 0.26% of girls and over 0.015% of boys received this name, increasing to over 0.33% for the girls and just under 0.03% for the boys by 2007. By then, Noa was already ranking within the girls’ top 100. Based on survey data from Baby Calendar, Meiji Yasuda Life and Tamahiyo and my preliminary 2014-9 names research, over 0.5% of girls received this name for most years in the 2010s (a couple of years do fall below that mark). As for the boys, my research, coupled with BC rankings data, suggests that the percentage for the middle and latter parts of the 2010s is largely at 0.05% or above.

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

Mia (みあ)

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(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mʸee-ah [mʲí.à]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is based on the pan-European name Mia, stemming from a contraction of Maria used in Scandinavia, Germany and the Netherlands. As for the kanji used for this name, they include:

mi (み) a (あ)
美/深 “beauty” 愛 “love, affection”
心 “heart, mind” 亜 phonetic kanji
海 “sea, ocean” 空 “space, room”
未 sign of the Sheep; part of 未来 (mirai) “future” 杏 “apricot”
実 “seed; fruit” 彩 “colour”
望 “desire, wish, hope” 碧 “blue”
珠 “gem, jewel” 葵 “hollyhock; wild ginger;” part of 向日葵 (himawari) “sunflower”
弥/彌 “increase” 綺 “thin silk;” part of 綺麗 (kirei) “pretty; clean”
翠 “green” 絢 “gorgeous, brilliant”
光 “light; ray, beam, glow” 逢 “meeting”
藍 “indigo”
朱 “vermilion”

Popularity:
In use since at least the 1970s, much of its usage is concentrated on females born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. In 1990, it was given to less than 0.01% of girls, rising very steadily to just above it by 2000.
In keeping with Mia’s growing popularity throughout much of the world at the time, the name started rising in popularity in Japan during the 2000s with well over 0.05% of girls receiving this name by 2007. Based on Baby Calendar ranking data from 2017-2019, it is ranking close to entering the top 100, meaning that percentages have since rose to well over 0.2%.

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

Currently used names for the little helpers

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Sources Pronunciation guide

The list that we will be looking at today are names that are currently used among baby boys that end in -suke (from 助け (suke) which generally refers to assistance, help or support), which, apart from 助, can also be written as 介, 輔, 祐, 佑 or 丞, stretching to kanji like 翼, from tsubasa meaning “wing,” 友, from tomo meaning “friend,” 空, from sora meaning “sky,” or 涼, from suzu(shii) meaning “cool, refreshing.”
For this list, the names are listed in order of popularity, sourced from my preliminary 2014-8 names research. In general, names ending in -suke have fallen down in popularity from its modern peak of well over 7% in the 1980s down to a little over 2% in the mid-2000s, though it has rebounded a tad bit since then, thanks mainly to one name that we will start the list on, which is:

  1. Sōsuke – the three main kanji used for the first element are 蒼 meaning “blue,” 颯 meaning “quick, sudden” and 奏 meaning “playing music” – other kanji with the Sino-Japanese reading sō include 壮 meaning “vibrancy, strength, bravery,” 宗 meaning “sect,” 湊 meaning “harbour, port,” 創 meaning “making, building; start, origin, beginning” and 聡 meaning “wise”
  2. Kōsuke – further down the bottom half of the top 100, popular first element kanji for this name include 幸/倖 meaning “good luck, happiness,” 煌/晃 meaning “brilliant, bright, dazzling,” 康 meaning “peace,” 航 meaning “navigation” and 光 meaning “light; ray, beam, glow”
  3. Ryōsuke – this next name on the list is most popularly written as 涼, with other kanji containing the Sino-Japanese reading ryō being used such as 亮/瞭 meaning “clear,” 椋, referring to the scabrous aphananthe/muku tree, 綾 meaning “figure, design,” 遼 meaning “far off, distant,” 凌 meaning “endurance” and 稜 meaning “angle, edge”
  4. Ōsuke – the most popular first element kanji for this next name is 旺 meaning “vigorous, prosperous,” with others including 桜 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom),” 央 meaning “middle, centre,” 凰, part of 鳳凰 (hōō) referring to the Chinese firebird/phoenix, and 應 meaning “answer, reply”
  5. Keisuke – for this next name, 圭, which means “angle, edge,” is the most popular first element kanji, with other kei kanji in use including 恵/慧 meaning “wisdom,” 佳 meaning “beautiful, good,” 啓 meaning “opening,” 慶 meaning “delight, pleasure” and 桂, referring to the katsura tree
  6. Shunsuke – now heading outside the top 100, popular first element kanji for this name include 俊 meaning “excellence, genius,” 駿, which has similar meanings to 颯, 春 meaning “spring” and 隼, referring to a peregrine falcon
  7. Yūsuke – some of the first element kanji in use for this next name include 悠 meaning “quiet, calm; far off, distant,” 優 meaning “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority,” 友, 勇 meaning “bravery, courage,” and 祐/佑/侑, these last three also in use as the second element
  8. Yōsuke – this name is most commonly written as 陽 meaning “day; sun,” though other yō kanji can be used, such as 耀/燿 meaning “brightness, brilliance,” 洋 meaning “ocean, sea” and 遥/遙 meaning “far off, distant”
  9. Shūsuke – for this next name, 柊, which refers to the false holly, is the most popular first element kanji, with other kanji containing the Sino-Japanese reading shū including 修 meaning “discipline,” 秀 meaning “excellence” and 周 meaning “circumference”
  10. Kyōsuke – this next name is most often written as 京 meaning “capital” or 恭 meaning “respect, revere,” though other kyō kanji, like 杏 meaning “apricot” and 馨 meaning “fragrance,” can be used as well
  11. Eisuke – for this name, 瑛, which means “crystal,” is the most popular first element kanji, with other ei kanji in use including 英 meaning “wisdom, brilliance,” 永 meaning “eternity” and 栄 meaning “glory, prosperity”
  12. Taisuke – for this name, 泰, which means “quiet, peaceful; great, excessive,” is most commonly used, followed by 太 meaning “plump, thick”
  13. Daisuke – once popular from the 1970s to the 1990s and now fallen down into very uncommon territory, this name is mainly written as 大 meaning “large, big” (太 is also used to a lesser extent)
  14. Kansuke – this next name on the list is mainly written as 寛 meaning “broadminded,” 貫 meaning “piercing, penetration,” or 勘 meaning “perception, intuition, the sixth sense”
  15. Kensuke – for this final name on the list, 健 meaning “health” and 絢 meaning “gorgeous, brilliant” are popular first element kanji among baby boys that I’ve found

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.