jasmine

Juria (じゅりあ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: juu-rʸee-ah [dʑɨ́ᵝ.ɾʲì.à]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is borrowed from the pan-European name Julia, the feminine form of Latin Iūlius. Most of the kanji used for this name can be seen in the table below:

ju (じゅ) ri (り) a (あ)
樹 “tree” 里 “village” 亜/亞 phonetic kanji
珠 “gem, jewel” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 愛 “love, affection”
寿 “congratulations; longevity” 利 “advantage, benefit” 杏 “apricot”
朱 “vermilion” 梨 “pear” 彩/采 “colour”
純 “pure, genuine” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli” 安 “quiet, peaceful”
雛 “doll” 理 “reason, logic” 阿 phonetic kanji
李 “Japanese/Chinese plum” 明 “bright”
吏 “officer” 有 “existing”
凛 “cold; dignified” 藍 “indigo”
鈴 “bell” 葵 “hollyhock; wild ginger;” part of 向日葵 (himawari) “sunflower”

Popularity:
Much of its usage is concentrated on those born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. In 1989, only 0.003% of girls received this name, gradually rising to 0.011% by 1992 before jumping to 0.017% in 1993 and over 0.032% in 1994. The cause of this jump was singer Mazda Julia, whose first solo single was released in August of 1993.
Percentages remained above 0.025% throughout the rest of the 1990s and much of the 2000s before dropping to below 0.02% by 2009. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, the average percentage from 2017-20 is around 0.012% with yearly percentages in that time frame sometimes dropping below 0.01%.

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.

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.

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Sarii (さりい)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: sah-rʸee: [sá.ɾʲìː]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is borrowed from the English name Sally, a diminutive of Sarah that is often used as an independent first name. As for how this name can be written, most of the kanji used can be seen in the table below:

sa (さ) ri (り) i (い)*
紗 “gauze” 里 “village” 衣 “clothing”
沙/砂 “sand” 梨 “pear” 依 “reliance, dependence”
彩 “colouring” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 伊 phonetic kanji
咲 “blossom” 理 “reason, logic” 生 “live, exist”
早 “early” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli” 維 “tie, rope”
冴 “clarity; skilfulness” 吏 “officer” 以 phonetic kanji
利 “advantage, benefit”
俐 “clever”
李 “Japanese/Chinese plum”
麗 “lovely, beautiful”
鈴 “bell”
凛 “cold; dignified”

* can be elided

Popularity:
Much of its usage is concentrated on those born from the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. However, compared to the shorted form Sari, percentages never top 0.01% (they range from 0.002-0.007%).

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Erina (えりな)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: e-rʸee-nah [é̞.ɾʲì.nà]

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

e (え) ri (り) na (な)
絵 “picture, drawing” 里 “village” 奈 phonetic kanji
恵/慧 “wisdom” 梨 “pear” 菜 “greens”
英 “wisdom, brilliance” 理 “reason, logic” 那 phonetic kanji
江 “inlet, bay” 利 “advantage, benefit” 名 “name”
瑛 “crystal” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 南 “south”
愛 “beloved” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli” 捺 phonetic kanji
衣 “clothing” 吏 “officer”
枝 “branch, bough” 李 “Japanese/Chinese plum”
栄 “glory, prosperity”
依 “reliance, dependence”
笑/咲 “smile”
映 “reflection”
永 “eternity”
衿/襟 “collar, neck(band)”
えり (phonetic)

This name may also have hints of foreign influence, being that エリナ transcribes the name Elina (+ variants) and エリナー (with a longer final vowel) is one way to transcribe the name Eleanor.

Popularity:
Erina first grew in usage in the 1970s, though it was still uncommon back then with a decadal percentage of over 0.04%. Usage jumped by the mid-1980s and by 1990, over 0.4% of girls received this name, placing it within the bottom half of the top 100.
However, this peak of popularity was short lived as it already dropped out of the top 100 by the turn of the millennium. Since the mid-2000s, percentages remain below the 0.1% threshold. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my own 2014-20 names research, the average percentage from 2017-20 is around 0.05%.

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

Maasa (まあさ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mah-ah-sah [má.à.sà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is most commonly written as 真麻, individually meaning “pure, true” (also written as 眞) and “hemp, flax.” As a word, it is used, with the reading mao, as an alternative form of 苧 (karamushi) referring to the ramie plant and, with the reading maso, a euphemism for 麻.
The second element can be substituted for 朝 (asa) meaning “morning” or it can be split into two kanji, an a kanji, like 亜 or 愛 meaning “love, affection,” combined with a sa kanji, such as 沙 meaning “sand” or 紗 meaning “gauze.” As for the first element, it can be replaced with 麻 (not to be used twice), 茉, part of 茉莉 (matsuri) referring to the Arabian jasmine, or 万 meaning “ten thousand,” among other ma kanji.

Popularity:
This name is mostly used among those born since the 1980s, first brought to wider attention by the birth of the daughter of actor Takahashi Hideki in late 1981. By 1990, over 0.02% of girls received this name, dropping down below 0.01% by 1996. It rebounded a bit above it in the early-mid 2000s before jumping over 0.02% again in 2007.
Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my own 2014-20 names research, percentages fell below 0.01% again in the mid 2010s and the average percentage from 2017-20 is below 0.005%.

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

Marin (まりん)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mah-rʸeen [má.ɾʲĩ̀ɴ̀]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
At first glance, it looks like it might have been borrowed from English/French marine (the latter being the feminine singular form of marin), usually an adjective that pertains to the sea. This can be true given the usage of 海 (normally read as umi) either as part of a multi-kanji combination, e.g. 青海/碧海, literally meaning “blue sea,” 愛海 or 海鈴, or, occasionally, on its own.
More often though, the name is written with a combination of a ma kanji and a rin kanji (with the occasionally inclusion of a kanji whose reading can be reduced to a moraic nasal N, e.g. 音 meaning “sound”). Most of the kanji used can be seen in the table below:

ma (ま) rin (りん)
真/眞 “truth” 凛/凜 “cold; dignified”
茉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 鈴 “bell”
麻 “hemp, flax” 琳 “jewel”
愛 “beloved” 梨 “pear”
舞 “dance” 倫 “ethics”
万 “ten thousand” 林 “forest”
優 “excellence, superiority” 綾 “figure, design”
美 “beauty”

Popularity:
Usage of this name is relatively recent, having been in use for at least the last several decades. It grew in usage in the 1990s, rising from under 0.02% in 1990 to over 0.08% by the mid-1990s and well over 0.17% by 2000. However, throughout the 2000s, its usage had gradually reduced, falling to under 0.07% by 2009. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-20 names research, it has started rising back up a bit in the middle and latter parts of the 2010s, averaging a percentage of over 0.11% from 2017 to 2020.

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

Ameri (あめり)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: ah-me-rʸee [á.mè̞.ɾʲì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is usually made up of 天 (ame) meaning “sky; heaven” and a ri kanji, like 莉, part of 茉莉 (matsuri) referring to the Arabian jasmine, 璃, part of 瑠璃 (ruri) meaning “lapis lazuli,” 梨 meaning “pear,” 里 meaning “village,” so on and so forth. The first element can also be split into two kanji, an a kanji like 亜, 愛 meaning “love, affection,” 明 meaning “bright” or 杏 meaning “apricot,” combined with a me kanji, mainly 芽/萌 meaning “bud, sprout.”

Popularity:
Usage of this name is relatively recent, spurred by the release of the well-known French film ‘Amélie’ (transcribed in Japanese like this name) in 2001. By 2002, it rose to around 0.01%, compared to usage levels in the 1990s and the start of the new millennium which was no more than 0.001-2%. Since 2002, percentage levels have stabilised around the 0.01% mark since then.

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

Rita (りた)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: rʸee-tah [ɾʲí.tà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Most of the kanji used for this name are listed in the table below (majority gender is marked for the 2nd element):

ri (り) ta (た)
理 “reason, logic” 汰 “wash, scour”
莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 太 “plump, thick”
璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli” 大 “large, big”
俐 “clever” 他 “other”
利 “advantage, benefit” 樹 “tree”
里 “village” 楽 “enjoyment”
李 “Japanese/Chinese plum” 多 “many, much”
梨 “pear” 珠 “gem, jewel”
吏 “officer”
凌 “endurance”
凛/凜 “cold; dignified”

Female usage of this name is, obviously, an influence from the Pan-European name Rita.

Popularity:
Usage of this name for both genders is relatively recent. From the start of the 1990s to the end of the 2000s, usage for girls was stable though very rare with percentages mainly around 0.001%. For boys, it saw a very small increase from around 0.001% in the beginning to just over 0.005% at the end.
From late 2015 onwards, it increased in popularity, especially for boys with percentages peaking at over 0.09% in 2018 and 2019, based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my preliminary 2014-20 names research. Female usage rose a tad bit at around the same time to an average of just under 0.01%. The recent increase is likely influenced by a live action film adaptation of the manga series ‘Heroine Shikkaku’ which featured a male character going by this name.

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