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Ken’yū (けんゆう)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: kew̃-yuu: [kẽ̞́ɰ̃̀.jɯ̟̀ᵝː]
Variant transliterations: Ken’yu, Ken’yuu

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

ken (けん) yū (ゆう)
健 “health” 悠 “quiet, calm; far off, distant”
賢 “intelligence” 勇 “bravery, courage”
剣 “sword, sabre, blade” 優 “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority”
憲 “constitution, law” 祐/佑/侑 “help”
顕 “exposure” 裕 “abundant, rich”
謙 “modest, humble” 雄 “male”
兼 “concurrence” 友 “friend”
拳 “fist” 由 “reason, cause”
絢 “gorgeous, brilliant” 右 “right”
堅 “strength, solidity”
建 “building, construction”
研 “sharpening; study”

Popularity:
Though it has been (very uncommonly) used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the majority from Okinawa prefecture, the name has seen a rise in usage since the 2000s, rising to over 0.01% by 2009 and over 0.04% by the second half of the 2010s, the latter based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my preliminary 2014-9 names research.

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Fusa (ふさ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: fsah [ɸɯ̟̥́ᵝ.sà] (on its own)

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 房/総 (fusa) meaning “bunch, cluster (of flowers); segment.” It can also be written with two kanji, a fu kanji like 婦 meaning “(married) woman,” 富/冨 meaning “riches, wealth, fortune” or 芙, part of 芙蓉 (fuyō), referring to the Confederate rose, combibed with a sa kanji, such as 佐 meaning “help” or 沙/砂 meaning “sand.”

Popularity:
Usage in the early years of the Edo period (1603-1868) is rare (one 17th century example belonged to one of the concubines of Date Tadamune), picking up steam in the latter half. Data from Tsunoda and Collazo place the average percentage in the latter part of the period at over 0.42%, within the lower half of the top 100.
Peak usage of this name occurred in the Meiji period (1868-1912), especially the 19th-century portion where Fusa ranked within the top 50. As with most feminine names of the olden days, the name fell down in popularity throughout the first half of the 20th century. Since the second half of the 20th century, Fusa is and remains a very rarely used name.

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Hiromi (ひろみ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: khee-ro–mʸee [çì.ɾó̞.mʲí]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The first element of this name stems from the adjective 広(廣)/弘/宏い (hiroi) meaning “spacious, vast, wide” (also 浩, 博, 裕, 紘, 絋, 拡). Other kanji which related to the adjective’s meanings include 寛 meaning “broadminded,” 大 meaning “big, large.” 洋 meaning “ocean, sea,” 悠 meaning “far off, distant,” 祐 meaning “help, assist,” 拓/啓 meaning “opening” and 光 meaning “light; ray, beam, glow.” A 2-kanji first element is possible, combining a hi kanji, like 比 or 妃, the latter meaning “princess,” and a ro kanji, e.g. 呂.
As for the second element, any mi kanji can be used, such as:

  • 美 meaning “beauty”
  • 実/實 meaning “seed; fruit”
  • 海 meaning “sea, ocean”
  • 未, referring to the sign of the Sheep or part of the word 未来 (mirai) meaning “future”
  • 巳, referring to the sign of the Snake
  • 己, referring to the 6th heavenly stem in Chinese calendar
  • 見/視 meaning “looking, viewing”
  • 弥 meaning “increase”
  • 水 meaning “water”
  • 三 meaning “three”
  • 味 meaning “flavour, taste”

Mainly used on males, 大海 and 大洋, normally read as taikai and taiyō and both referring to the ocean, are also used for this name.

Popularity:
In use since at least the Meiji period (1868-1912), the type of usage in the early 20th century compared to what would occur later on was different, namely the level of usage (it was uncommon, peaking at around the 0.1% range) and who was being given the name more (it skewed heavily towards males, though female usage was slowly increasing).
Female usage of this name started to skyrocket in the 1940s and by the next decade, it was already within the top 50, being given to over 0.6% of baby girls born in that decade. Peak feminine usage happened in the 1960s with well over 2% of women born in that decade referring to this name, placing it within the top 5. Survey data from Dai-ichi Life via Tsunoda seems to concur with the peak usage statement with Hiromi ranking within the top 5 for 8 consecutive years from 1960 to 1967 (it was the top name in the survey for 1970 but did not show up again in the top 5 until 1975-7).
Feminine usage levels were dropping down by the 1970s, though percentages were still over 1% in the 1970s and most of the 1980s. Regarding male usage from the 1950s-1980s, it was still within the 0.1% range in the 1950s and 1960s, but it was already dropping down in popularity. By 1990, it was given to over 0.44% of girls and over 0.01% of boys, the name dropping out of the girls’ top 100 by 1992. Since the 2000s, it is a very uncommon to rare name for both genders.

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

Risa (りさ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: rʸee-sah [ɾʲí.sà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Though it has been in use before the 20th century as mentioned again later on, in recent decades, the name’s usage is seemingly inspired by the pan-European name Lisa. Most of the kanji used for this name is shown in the table below:

ri (り) sa (さ)
梨 “pear” 紗 “gauze”
理 “reason, logic” 沙/砂 “sand”
里 “village” 咲 “blossom”
莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 彩/采 “colouring”
凛/凜 “cold; dignified” 佐 “help”
利 “advantage, benefit” 桜 “cherry (tree, blossom)”
璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli” 爽 “fresh”
李 “Japanese/Chinese plum” 早 “early”
吏 “officer” 幸 “good luck, happiness”
浬 “nautical mile”
琳 “jewel”
鈴 “bell”
怜/伶 “clever, smart”

Popularity:
This name has been in use as far back as the early Edo period (1603-1868), the earliest example I can find belonging to one of the concubines of Tokugawa Iemitsu. Based on data from Tsunoda and Collazo, the average percentage of women bearing this name in the latter part of the period is over 0.17%, placing it below the top 150.
As with most feminine name of the period, it fell down in popularity through the first half of the 20th century. However, it started rising again in the 1960s and it started to become somewhat of a popular name by the 1980s with a peak period between 1990 and 1996. By then, percentages were 1% or above and Risa ranked within the lower half of the top 20. Since then however, it dropped down in popularity, falling off the top 50 by 2007 (the percentage being around 0.39%) and the top 100 by the mid-2010s (Baby Calendar, however, still has Risa ranking in the top 100 until 2019).

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

Ōsuke (おうすけ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: o:-skeh [ó̞ò̞.sɨ̥̀ᵝ.kè̞]
Variant transliterations: Osuke, Ousuke

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element for this name is 助 (suke) meaning “help,” also written as 介, 輔, 佑, 祐, 丞, 典, 亮, and so on. As for the first element, it can be written as:

  • 旺 meaning “vigorous, prosperous”
  • 桜/櫻 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom)”
  • 央 meaning “middle, centre”
  • 応 meaning “agreement”
  • 欧, a phonetic kanji
  • 王 meaning “king, ruler”
  • 凰, part of 鳳凰 (hōō) referring to the Chinese firebird/phoenix
  • 應 meaning “answer, reply”
  • 逢 meaning “meeting”
  • 翁 meaning “old man, venerable gentleman”
  • 皇 meaning “imperial”
  • 匡 meaning “correct; save”

Popularity:
The name has been in rare use throughout the 20th century with 6 FamilySearch records for the name in the early 20th century being recorded, a few born in Okinawa. As for Heisei period (1989-2019) popularity, it was given to a maximum of 0.002% of boys throughout the 1990s before starting to increase at the turn of the millennium (the cause for the increase is unknown at the time of publishing).
In 2000, it was given to over 0.015% of boys, rising to over 0.09% by 2004 and over 0.17% by 2009. According to Baby Calendar data and my preliminary 2014-9 names research, usage slowed down to some extent but regardless, it managed to gain enough in percentage (over 0.25%) to enter the top 100 in the late 2010s.

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

Yuriko (ゆりこ)

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(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: yuu-rʸee-ko [jɯ̟́ᵝ.ɾʲì.kò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The most commonly used form of this name is 百合子, made up of 百合 (yuri) meaning “lily” and 子 (ko) meaning “child.” 百 is also used as the first kanji for other kanji combinations, which include:

yu (ゆ) ri (り)
友 “friend” 里 “village”
由 “reason, cause” 理 “reason, logic”
有 “existence” 梨 “pear”
優 “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine”
祐/佑/侑 “help” 利 “advantage, benefit”
悠 “quiet, calm; far off, distant” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli”
裕 “abundant, rich” 吏 “officer”
夕 “night” 栞 “bookmark”
柚 “yuzu fruit”
結 “tie, bond”
唯 “only”
弓 “bow”

Popularity:
Yuriko started rising in popularity alongside other -ko names in the 1890s, gaining a spot in the top 100 by the 1910s and experiencing its general peak of popularity from the 1920s to the 1950s with well over 0.7% of girls receiving this name and ranking within the top 50 throughout much of that time period.
Though it did drop to less than 0.4% in the 1960s, it did teeter on and off the 0.4% mark throughout that decade all the way to the first half of the 1980s. By the time the Heisei period (1989-2019) started, it was out of the top 100 with around 0.19% of girls receiving this name, dropping to just over 0.15% in the next year. Despite a short-term rise to over 0.21% by 1993, percentage dropped to below 0.1% by the late 1990s and is currently being given to less than 0.04% of girls, based on Baby Calendar ranking data and my preliminary 2014-8 names research.

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

Yūsuke (ゆうすけ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: yuu:-ske [jɯ̟́ᵝɯ̟̀ᵝ.sɨ̥̀ᵝ.kè̞]
Variant transliterations: Yusuke, Yuusuke

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element for this name is 助 (suke) meaning “help,” also written as 介, 輔, 祐, 佑, 亮, 典, and so on. As for the first element, it can be written as:

  • 祐/佑/侑 meaning “help”
  • 裕 meaning “abundant, rich”
  • 勇 meaning “bravery, courage”
  • 優 meaning “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority”
  • 雄 meaning “male”
  • 友 meaning “friend”
  • 有 meaning “existence”
  • 悠 meaning “quiet, calm; far off, distant”
  • 夕 meaning “evening”
  • 由 meaning “reason, cause”
  • 結 meaning “tie, bond”
  • 唯 meaning “only”
  • 遊 meaning “play”

Popularity:
Throughout the early to mid-20th century, this name was uncommonly used and it wasn’t until the early 1970s that it started its meteoric rise in popularity, rising from over 0.03% in the early 1960s to just under 0.1% at the start of the 1970s to under 1.5% by the end of the decade. By the mid 1980s, the name peaked at well over 2%, resulting in it toppling Daisuke to become the most popular boy name for a short while before being overtaken by Yūki.
Regarding Heisei period (1989-2019) popularity, it was already on its way to falling down in popularity. In 1990, it was in 5th place with just over 1.6% of boys receiving this name. By 2007, the percentage reduced to over 0.34% and data from Baby Calendar and my preliminary 2014-8 names research show that Yūsuke has been out of the top 100 for several years now.

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

Sakichi (さきち)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: sah-kʸchee [sà.kʲɨ̥́ᵝ.tɕí]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The main form of this name is 佐吉, made up of 佐 (sa) meaning “help” and 吉 (kichi) meaning “good fortune, good luck.” The first element can be replaced with 左 meaning “left” or 沙/砂 meaning “sand.”

Popularity:
Based on villager and merchant data provided by Collazo and Issendai respectively, Sakichi is not exactly a commonly used name back in the Edo period (1603-1868), averaging around 0.138%. Like most other names from this period, it fell out in popularity during the 20th century and is now very rarely given to babies.

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

Daisuke (だいすけ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: dah-ee-ske [dá.ì.sɨ̥̀ᵝ.kè̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The name is most commonly written as 大輔, made up of 大 (dai) meaning “big, large” and 輔 (suke) meaning “help, assist,” the general meaning also being applied in this instance to other kanji like 介, 祐, 佑, 助 and 佐.
Alternatively, the first element can be written as 代 meaning “generation,” while the second element can also be written as 亮 meaning “clear,” 資 meaning “fund, capital,” 督 meaning “command, supervise” or 典 meaning “rule, law.”

Popularity:
As surprising as it may sound to some of you who are reading this, Daisuke is actually used in the Edo period (1603-1868), just that it is very uncommon for that time period.
Though it did gradually increase in popularity, it was still uncommon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and it wasn’t until the 1960s when it started showing signs of steeper popularity growth. Based on my mid-century research combined with top 10 writing data from Meiji Yasuda Life and top 30 writing data from namae-yurai.net, it had already jumped to the top 10 by the mid 1970s. By the early 1980s, it had become the most popular boy name with percentage levels at its peak near 2%.
By the Heisei period (1989-2019), it was past its peak but still retained its popularity at the start, being used by over 0.95% of all boys in 1990, before dropping to over 0.38% in 2000 and over 0.12% in 2009. By then, it was effectively out of the top 100.

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