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Sachi (さち)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: sah-chee [sá.tɕì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 幸/倖 (sachi) meaning “good luck, happiness.” The word itself (also applying to its bound/original form satsu) was originally used with relation to hunting (thus it is speculated to have a possible relation to Korean 살 (sal) meaning “arrow”) and the current meanings may have been adopted from the Chinese source.
Other single kanji used in relation to the ideas of good luck and happiness include 祥 meaning “blessedness, (good) omen” and 福 meaning “good fortune, happiness, blessing, good luck.” The aforementioned kanji can also be used as part of a 2-kanji combination on either element. The second element is mainly written as either 智/知 (chi) meaning “wisdom” or 千 (chi) meaning “thousand,” but can also be written as 茅, from chigaya which refers to cogon grass, or 稚 (chi) meaning “young, new.” As for the first element, it can be written as:

  • 紗 meaning “gauze”
  • 沙/砂 meaning “sand”
  • 早 meaning “early”
  • 佐 meaning “help”
  • 咲 meaning “blossom”
  • 彩/采 meaning “colouring”
  • 桜/櫻 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom)”
  • 嵯, part of 嵯峨 (saga) meaning “high and steep, precipitous”
  • 瑳 meaning “polish, shine”
  • 左 meaning “left”
  • 小 meaning “small”
  • 冴 meaning “clarity; skilfulness”
  • 裟, part of 袈裟 (kesa), referring to robes of fully ordained Buddhist monks and nuns
  • 爽 meaning “fresh”
  • 才 meaning “ability, gift, talent”

Popularity:
Usage of this name since the latter part of the Edo period (1603-1868) is uncommon. Percentage wise, it generally stayed within the 0.1% range, from the late Edo period through to the 1930s and then from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s.
Regarding current popularity, it has fallen to below 0.1% since the mid-1990s, though it only occasionally drops below 0.05%. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-21 names research, the average percentage from 2017-21 is just over 0.075%.

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

Jōji (じょうじ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: jo:-zhee [dʑó̞ò̞.ʑì]
Variant transliterations: Joji, Jouji, Johji

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

jō (じょう) ji (じ)
丈 “height, stature” 二 “two”
譲/讓 “inheritance; transfer; conciliation” 治 “cure; management”
丞 “help” 司 “office”
城 “castle” 志 “will, aim, goal”
穣/穰, part of 豊穣 (hōjō), referring to an abundant grain crop 士°/侍 “man°; samurai”
錠 “lock” 史 “history”
浄 “clean, pure, chaste” 慈 “mercy, affection”
常 “constant” 児 “child, boy”
成 “growth, reach, attainment”

Some of its usage may be influenced by the English name George, which is transcribed as ジョージ.

Popularity:
Overall usage of this name is uncommon with yearly percentages not topping 0.1%. Beginning to see a bit of wider usage in the Meiji period (1868-1912), the name rose above 0.05% from the 1930s to the late 1960s. By the 1980s, usage levels dropped to within the 0.02-3% range.
Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, by the mid-to-late 2010s, the name rose back above 0.05% on average.

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

Hayuma (はゆま)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: hah-yuu-mah [há.jɯ̟̀ᵝ.mà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
For the first element, any kanji can be used that contains the stem reading hay-, like 隼 (hayabusa), referring to the peregrine falcon, 颯/駿, from 疾風 (hayate) referring to a gale or otherwise a strong or swift wind, 映, from the classical verb 映ゆ (hayu) meaning “to shine, glow,” or 早 (haya) meaning “early.” It can also be split into two kanji, a ha kanji like 羽 meaning “feather” or 波 meaning “wave” and a yu kanji such as 優 meaning “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority,” 由 meaning “reason, cause” or 祐/佑 meaning “help.”
As for the second element, any kanji with the reading ma can be used, such as:

  • 磨/摩 meaning “polish, shine”
  • 真/眞 meaning “truth”
  • 馬 meaning “horse”
  • 麻 meaning “hemp, flax”
  • 万 meaning “ten thousand”
  • 茉, part of 茉莉 (matsuri) referring to the Arabian jasmine

Popularity:
With its usage influenced by footballer Tanaka Hayuma, especially after his marriage to model Malia in 2001 and the birth of their son the next year, percentages from 2002 to the end of the 2000s (when 隼磨 was the most popular form) stayed between 0.005% and 0.010%, going above the 0.010% threshold in the second half of the 2010s.

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

Sayo (さよ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: sah-yo [sá.jò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 小夜 (sayo) meaning “night.” Other kanji for this name can be seen in the table below:

sa (さ) yo (よ)
紗 “gauze” 代/世 “generation”
沙/砂 “sand” 与 “gift, award”
佐 “help” 予 phonetic kanji*
彩/采 “colouring” 葉 “leaf”
早 “early” 誉 “honour”
瑳 “polish, shine” 容 “form, shape, figure”
裟 part of 袈裟 (kesa), robes of fully ordained Buddhist monks and nuns 陽 “day; sun”
依 “reliance, dependence”
詠 “recitation”
蓉 part of 芙蓉 (fuyō) “Confederate rose”

* can refer to the formal/literary first-person personal pronoun

Popularity:
In use since at least the Muromachi period (1336-1573) when female names were mainly suffixed with 賣/女 (me), usage of Sayo grew in usage in the Edo period (1603-1868), by then mainly written phonetically. Regarding its usage in the latter portion, on average (based on Tsunoda and Collazo), it ranks within the top 30 with percentages mainly above 0.7%.
It would remain somewhat common into the first half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), though it would drop down in usage in the early 20th century and become rarely used by the 1950s. It wouldn’t rise again until the 1980s but this time around, it’s on a smaller scale. In 1990, it was given to just over 0.08% of girls, ranking below the top 200, dropping to over 0.04% by 2000 before rebounding a little bit in the 2010s up to now.

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

Yūto (ゆうと)

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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%.

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

Sagiri (さぎり)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: sah-gʸee–rʸee [sà.ɡʲí.ɾʲí]~sah-gʸee-rʸee [sá.ɡʲì.ɾʲì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name comes from the word 狭霧 (sagiri) meaning “mist, fog,” derived from 霧 (kiri) with the same meaning with the inclusion of a sa– prefix (this can also be seen in Sayuri).
As a name, it is more common for the first element to be written with a different sa kanji, like 沙 meaning “sand,” 早 meaning “early,” 紗 meaning “gauze” or 佐 meaning “help.” The second kanji can also be substituted with 桐 (kiri), referring to the paulownia tree, or 梧, shortened from 梧桐 (aogiri) which refers to the Chinese parasol tree.

Popularity:
Usage of this name is rare with percentages not reaching above 0.005% for most of the time since the 1950s (from the Namae Jiten data, 1992 is the notable exception with the percentage at 0.006%). Currently, it is more rarely used for a baby than it was in the 1990s.

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

Umi (うみ)

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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.

Susumu (すすむ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: suu-suu–muu [sɨ̀ᵝ.sɨ́ᵝ.mɯ̟́ᵝ]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from the verb 進む (susumu) meaning “to advance, progress, go forward; to precede; to improve” with other kanji sharing this meaning including 晋, 迪 and 漸. It can also be derived from the cognate verb 勧/奨む (susumu) meaning “to recommend, advise, suggest.” Other kanji which relate in some way to one or both of the verbs include:

  • 将 meaning “exact, precise”
  • 亨 meaning “smooth progression”
  • 丞/侑 meaning “help”
  • 益 meaning “increase”
  • 範 meaning “example, model”
  • 先/前 meaning “point, tip, end; future”
  • 二 meaning “two”

Popularity:
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Susumu had been consistently ranking within the top 50 with percentage levels ranging from 0.6% to upwards of over 1%, as was the case in the 1930s. By the 1960s, it was already out of the top 50 with percentages below 0.4% and was already out of the top 100 by the late 1970s. By then, percentage levels decreased to below 0.2% and its usage continued to dwindle. Today, less than 0.01% of baby boys receive this name, based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my preliminary 2014-9 names research.

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

Yūhi (ゆうひ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: yuu:-khee [jɯ̟́ᵝɯ̟̀ᵝ.çì]
Variant transliterations: Yuhi, Yuuhi

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Some of the kanji used for this name can be seen in the table below (blue and pink colours indicate a kanji for this name is more prominently used for males/females):

yū (ゆう) hi (ひ)
優 “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority” 陽/日 “day; sun”
結 “tie, bond” 飛 “fly, soar”
悠 “quiet, calm; far off, distant” 妃/姫 “princess”
友 “friend” 柊 “false holly”
雄 “male” 燈/灯 “light; lamp”
祐/佑/侑 “help” 光 “light; ray, beam, glow”
夕 “evening” 一 “one”
勇 “bravery, courage” 緋 “scarlet”
湧 “springing, surging”
由 “reason, cause”

This name coincides with the words 夕日 meaning “evening/setting sun,” 勇飛 meaning “flying jump, great achievement” and 雄飛 meaning “launching out, embarking upon (a career)​.” The first one is largely a unisex combination while the last two are mainly masculine.

Popularity:
Much of its usage is concentrated on those born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. In 1990, it was given to less than 0.01% of boys and less than 0.005% of girls. Usage rose steadily in the 1990s before becoming more steep in the 2000s. By 2009, over 0.08% of boys and over 0.02% of girls received this name, rising to over 0.19% and over 0.07% by the second half of the 2010s, the latter percentages based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my preliminary 2014-9 names research.

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