brilliance

Santa (さんた)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: sahn-tah [sã́ǹ.tà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
For the second element of this name, it is usually written as 太 (ta) meaning “plump, thick” with occasional substitutes including 大 (ta) meaning “large, big,” 多 (ta) meaning “many, much” and 汰 (ta) meaning “wash, scour.”
As for the second element, any kanji with the Sino-Japanese reading san can be used, such as 三/参 meaning “three,” 燦 meaning “brilliant, resplendent​,” 山 meaning “mountain,” 賛/讃 meaning “praise, tribute” or 珊, part of 珊瑚 (sango) meaning “coral.” In more recent times, the first element can also be borrowed from the English word sun with 陽, meaning “day; sun,” being the main kanji used there, though other kanji with connotations to the word can be used, e.g. 晴 meaning “clear, fine.”

Popularity:
Usage of this name is rare to very uncommon. In the first half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), usage levels peaked at less than 0.05%, dropping down after that.
With regards to Heisei period (1989-2019) usage, it was given to around 0.001% of boys at the start of the period, rising a little bit from the mid-1990s to the point of usage levels sometimes rising above 0.005%.

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Moe (もえ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mo-e [mó̞.è̞]
Archaic writing: もゑ (Mowe)

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 萌え/萠え (moe) meaning “sprouting, budding​.” This kanji, along with other kanji with the (partial) reading mo like 望, shortened from the first part of 望月 (mochidzuki), referring to the 15th day of the lunar month and the full moon, 百 meaning “hundred” or 茂 meaning “luxuriant,” can be combined with an e kanji, much of which can be seen below:

  • 恵/慧 “wisdom”
  • 絵 “picture, drawing”
  • 衣 “clothing”
  • 笑/咲 “smile”
  • 瑛 “crystal”
  • 愛 “beloved”
  • 映 “reflection”
  • 永 “eternity”
  • 江 “inlet, bay”
  • 枝 “branch, bough”
  • 依 “reliance, dependence”
  • 英 “wisdom, brilliance”
  • 詠 “recitation”
  • 栄/榮 “glory, prosperity”

Popularity:
Before 萌 was added as a Jinmeiyō (personal name) kanji in October 1981, usage of this name was rare to very uncommon, much of it occurring in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the start of the Heisei period (1989-2019), it was ranking outside the top 100 with usage levels near 0.2%, though it would rise throughout the 1990s and peak at the turn of the millennium within the 0.6% range.
Though it would remain relatively popular in the first half of the 2000s, the name would experience a noticeable drop in 2005, leaving the top 100 for good by 2006 with percentages dropping to over 0.1% and going further to below 0.1% from the 2010s onward. This sudden drop in usage in 2005-6 seems to be influenced by the usage of 萌え/萠え as an anime and manga slang term, referring to feelings of affection, adoration and devotion towards a fictional character, that became increasingly known at the time.

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Hidetora (ひでとら)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: khee-de-to-rah [çì.dé̞.tò̞.ɾà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element of this name comes from the word referring to a tiger, written as 虎. When written as 寅, it refers to the sign of the tiger in the Chinese zodiac. 彪 is a more recently used kanji, which can refer to a small tiger or otherwise the stripes of a tiger.
As for the first element, it is derived, via a sound shift, from the imperfective and continuative form of the verb 秀でる (hiideru) meaning “to excel, surpass.” From old Japanese 秀づ (hiidzu), it stems from a combination of 穂 (ho), shifted to hi, meaning “ear/head (of plant); point, tip” and verb 出づ (idzu) meaning “to come out.” 英, meaning “wisdom, brilliance,” is another kanji used in relation to the derivation as is 日出, in this case a shortening of hinode meaning “sunrise.”

Popularity:
Before the 21st century, this name was in rare to very rare use with around 0.0002% of males recorded in telephone book data bearing this name. Throughout the first half of the 1990s, usage levels peaked at 0.001% but beginning in 1996, it started to rise above it.
By 2000, it was given to 0.006% of boys. Throughout the 2000s, the name would more often than not rise above 0.01% with a decadal peak of just over 0.02% in 2009. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-21 names research, by the second half of the 2010s, average usage levels had gone back down below 0.01%.

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

Jukiya (じゅきや)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: juu-kʸee-yah [dʑɨ́ᵝ.kʲì.jà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Most of the kanji used for this name can be seen in the table below:

ju (じゅ) ki (き) ya (や)
寿/壽 “congratulations; longevity” 希/稀 “rare;” part of 希望 (kibō) “hope, wish, aspiration” 也 phonetic kanji*
樹 “tree”** 貴 “precious, valuable” 弥/彌 “increase”
珠 “gem, jewel” 輝 “brightness, brilliance” 哉 phonetic kanji
朱 “vermilion” 季 “season” 矢 “arrow”
生 “vitality” 耶 phonetic kanji
喜 “delight, pleasure”
己 6th heavenly stem in Chinese calendar

* can refer to archaic auxiliary verb なり (nari) meaning “to be”
** can also be used as the second kanji

Popularity:
This name (along with similar sounding Jukia) was first made known and popularised by now former WBC world bantamweight champion boxer Tatsuyoshi Jōichirō, whose first son was born in 1992 (the name of his second son, Juiki, rose later on to a smaller degree).
Its period of peak usage occurred from 1995 to 1998 when yearly percentages were above 0.02% with 1995 being the peak year at 0.026% (1997 not far behind at 0.024%). By the mid-2000s, it dropped below 0.01% where it remains today.

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

Mie (みえ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mʸee-e [mʲí.è̞]
Archaic writing: みゑ (Miwe), みへ (Mihe)

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

mi (み) e (え)
美/深 “beauty” 恵/慧 “wisdom”
三 “three” 絵 “picture, drawing”
実/實 “seed; fruit” 枝 “branch, bough”
未 sign of the Sheep; part of 未来 (mirai) “future” 江 “inlet, bay”
見 “looking, viewing” 栄 “glory, prosperity”
珠 “gem, jewel” 衣 “clothing”
弥 “increase” 重 “fold, layer”
英 “wisdom, brilliance”
瑛 “crystal”
依 “reliance, dependence”
詠 “recitation”
映 “reflection”

This name coincides with the word 三重 (mie; also sanjū) meaning “triple, threefold, three-ply, triplicate” (also used in reference to Mie Prefecture).

Popularity:
Usage of this name in the Edo period (1603-1868) was uncommon with percentages under 0.2% based on data from Tsunoda and Collazo. It did not rise above that mark until the Meiji period (1868-1912) and percentages peaked in the early 1920s, topping just over 0.4% and ranking in the 60s.
Falling in popularity from the 1930s, it did not rise again until the 1950s and 1960s with a second peak occurring in the first half of the 1970s. By then, percentages rose above 0.4%, similar to the first peak, and ranking within the lower half of the top 100 before dropping out again by the 1980s. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my 2014-20 names research, current yearly percentages have fallen below 0.01%.

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

Kiito (きいと)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: kʸee-ee-to [kʲí.ì.tò̞]~kʸee:-to [kʲíì.tò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
How this name is written is mainly gender-dependent. For males, it mainly revolves around combining a ki kanji, like 希/稀, either meaning “rare” or part of 希望 (kibō) meaning “hope, wish, aspiration,” 季 meaning “season,” 葵, referring to a mallow (e.g. hollyhock) or a wild ginger or part of 向日葵 (himawari) meaning “sunflower,” or 輝 meaning “brightness, brilliance,” and a to kanji, such as 斗, referring to the Chinese constellation known as the Dipper, 叶 meaning “grant, answer,” 人 meaning “person” or 翔 meaning “fly, soar.” An i kanji can sometimes be added in the middle and they include 唯 meaning “only,” 依 meaning “reliance, dependence” and 偉 meaning “greatness.”
The second element of this name can also be written as 糸 (ito) meaning “thread, yarn, string” (mainly feminine) along with other related kanji, e.g. 絃/弦 meaning “(bow)string,” (mainly masculine) or it can be written as 愛, from the stem of adjective 愛しい (itoshii) meaning “lovely, dear, beloved.”
The single kanji 純, meaning “pure, genuine,” is also used for both genders, taken from the word 生糸 (kiito), referring to a raw silk thread.

Popularity:
This name is mostly used on those born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards, especially those born since the early 2010s. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, average percentages for boys and girls from 2017-20 are just over 0.020% and under 0.005% respectively.

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

Manae (まなえ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mah-nah–e [mà.ná.é̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The first element of this name is most commonly written as 愛 (mana) meaning “beloved,” originally stemming from a compound of 真/眞 (ma) meaning “pure, true” and the Old Japanese possessive particle な (na). These kanji can combined with 苗 (nae) meaning “(rice) seedling, young plant” (though it’s rarely used) and can also be used in a three-kanji combination, which can be seen below:

ma (ま) na (な) e (え)
麻 “hemp, flax” 奈 phonetic kanji 恵/慧 “wisdom”
茉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 菜 “greens” 永 “eternity”
万 “ten thousand” 那 phonetic kanji 絵 “picture, drawing”
満 “full, whole” 江 “inlet, bay”
希 “rare” 枝 “branch, bough”
栄 “glory, prosperity”
瑛 “crystal”
英 “wisdom, brilliance”

Popularity:
Rarely used in the early 20th century, Manae began to see a little bit of a pick-up in usage in the late Shōwa period (1926-1989). By 1990, percentages amount to over 0.02%, remaining that way until late 1995 when the dorama ‘Koibito yo’ aired which featured a character with this name, written as 愛永.
By 1996, the name peaked at well over 0.1% by which point 愛永 briefly became its most popular form. However, it would revert to its pre-dorama levels within a few years and based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, percentages fell below 0.01% by the late 2010s.

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

Eijun (えいじゅん)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: e:-zhuun [é̞è̞.ʑɨ̃̀ᵝɴ̀]

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

ei (えい) jun (じゅん)
英 “wisdom, brilliance” 純 “pure, genuine”
瑛 “crystal” 順 “obedient”
栄/榮 “glory, prosperity” 淳 “pure”
永 “eternity” 潤 “richness; profit; blessing, grace”
詠 “recitation” 絢 “gorgeous, brilliant”
準 “associate”

Popularity:
Overall usage of this name is rare for the most part with percentages not getting above 0.005%. It did peak at around 0.02% in 2014, shortly after the anime adaptation of the manga ‘Ace of Diamond’ started broadcasting which stars a main character going by this name (written as 栄純).

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