Yūto (ゆうと)
Sources | Pronunciation guide |
(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: yuu:-to [jɯ̟́ᵝɯ̟̀ᵝ.tò̞]
Etymology and/or ways to write:
Here are some of the kanji used for this name:
yū (ゆう) | to (と) |
悠 “quiet, calm; far off, distant” | 斗 “the Dipper” |
優 “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority” | 人 “person” |
勇 “bravery, courage” | 翔/飛 “fly, soar” |
祐/佑/侑 “help” | 仁 “benevolence, compassion, humanity” |
結 “tie, bond” | 都 “metropolis” |
雄 “male” | 叶 “grant, answer” |
友 “friend”* | 登 “ascent” |
裕 “abundant, rich” | 杜 “shrine grove” |
有 “existence” | 音 “sound” |
湧 “springing, surging” | 和 “harmony, peace” |
由 “reason, cause” | 士 “warrior; samurai” |
夢 “dream” | 隼 “peregrine falcon” |
宥 “soothing, calming” | 大 “big, large” |
心 “heart, mind” | |
燈/灯 “light; lamp” |
* also used in the second element
An u kanji, like 羽 meaning “feather,” 海 meaning “sea, ocean” or 生 meaning “birth,” can be inserted in between.
Popularity:
Though it has been in use in the Taishō period (1912-1926), it was very uncommonly used until the mid-1980s when it began jumping in usage to over 0.2%, beginning its journey to stardom. The name briefly became the most popular boy name in Japan in around 2007 and 2008 before being overtaken by Haruto by the end of the decade. At its peak, it was given to over 2% of baby boys.
Though it is still a popular name to choose for a baby boy, its usage has been slowly declining. Based on survey data from numerous websites linked in the Sources page as well as my 2014-20 names research, it currently ranks in the bottom half of the top 10 (was still ranking in the top half until a few years ago) with percentages below 1.2%.
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