music

Sonoka (そのか)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: so-no-kah [só̞.nò̞.kà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The first element is taken from 園(薗)/苑 (sono) meaning “garden, orchard, park.” It can also be split into two kanji, the second part written as either 乃/之 (no), referring to the possessive particle, or 野 (no) meaning “field.” Most kanji for the first part can be seen in the table below alongside some of the ones used for the second element:

so (そ) ka (か)
素 “plain” 佳 “beautiful, good”
想 “conception, idea, thought” 香/郁/薫/馨 “fragrance”
早 “early” 花/華 “flower”
初 “first, new” 加 “addition”
颯 “sudden, quick” 夏 “summer”
蒼 “blue” 果 “fruit”
奏 “playing music”* 歌 “song”
爽 “fresh”

* also used for the second element

Popularity:
The name started rising in usage in the 1980s, though usage levels at the beginning of the Heisei period (1989-2019) were within the 0.01% range. It rose to over 0.03% in 1994 and 1995, dropping slighty out in 1996 before peaking at around 0.045% in 1997. By 1999, it fell back down below 0.02%, largely remaining within the 0.01% range since then.

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

Takuto (たくと)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: tah-kto [tá.kɯ̟̥̀ᵝ.tò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Most of the kanji used are listed in the table below:

taku (たく) to (と)*
拓 “opening” 翔/飛 “fly, soar”
卓 “preeminence, excellence; table, desk” 人 “person”
琢 “polish, shine” 斗 “the Dipper”
匠/巧/工 “workman, artisan; craft” 登 “ascent”
逞 “burly, strong; robust” 音 “sound”
択 “choice, option” 都 “metropolis”
託 “entrusting” 叶 “grant, answer”
太 “plump, thick” 空 “sky” 杜 “shrine grove”
大 “big, large”* 久 “long time” 士 “warrior; samurai”
玖 “black jewel; nine” 仁 “benevolence, compassion, humanity”
豊 “abundant, wealthy, plentiful, rich”
隼 “peregrine falcon”
虎 “tiger”
永 “eternity”
澄 “lucidity, transparency”
心 “heart, mind”
渡 “crossing, passage”

Also used for this name are 奏音 (奏 meaning “playing music”) and 揮 (rarely used) which refers to an act of wielding and brandishing. Both examples are derived from German, the first from the word Takt, in this case a musical term for time or a bar/measure, the second shortened from Taktstock, referring to a conductor’s baton (in Japanese, タクト is used for this word as well as 指揮棒).

Popularity:
In use since the Meiji period (1868-1912), usage of this name remained rare to very uncommon until the second half of the 1980s when it began rising. By 1990, over 0.16% of boys received this name. The name ranked within the top 100 from the late 1990s to the late 2010s with percentages up above 0.3% for much of the 2000s and 2010s. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well my 2014-20 names research, the average percentage in 2020 is below 0.14%, below the top 150.

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

Sono (その)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: so-no [só̞.nò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 園(薗)/苑 (sono) meaning “garden, orchard, park.” Nowadays, it is more common to be written with 2 kanji, so kanji used including 想 meaning “conception, idea, thought,” 蒼, generally meaning “blue,” 爽 meaning “fresh,” 奏 meaning “playing music,” 颯 meaning “sudden, quick” or 素 meaning “plain.” As for the second element, it is mainly written as 乃 (no), referring to the possessive particle, but it can also be written as 野 (no) meaning “field.”

Popularity:
By the latter half of the Edo period (1603-1868), usage of Sono, which was mainly written phonetically, had grown to be somewhat common with percentage levels, when combining data from Tsunoda and Collazo, at around 0.55%, placing it within the bottom section of the top 50. Like other names of this type, it began to fall down in popularity in the latter half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), becoming rarely used by the 1930s.
Regarding Heisei period (1989-2019) popularity, it was given to around 0.002-3% of girls throughout much of the 1990s, slowing rising to over 0.005% by 2000 before making a more steep rise to over 0.015% by 2004. Since the late 2000s, percentages remain stable at around the 0.02% mark.

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

Kanau (かなう)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: kah-nah–uu [kà.ná.ɯ̟́ᵝ]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from the verb 叶う (kanau) meaning “to come true (of a wish, prayer, dream, etc.), be fulfilled, be realised” (this specific writing is sometimes encountered, particularly towards females). This single kanji, alongside 奏, from the stem of the verb 奏でる (kanaderu) meaning “to play (an instrument),” can be suffixed with an u kanji, like 羽 meaning “feather,” 宇 meaning “eaves, roof,” 生 meaning “birth,” 海, from umi meaning “sea, ocean,” or 歌, from uta meaning “song.”

Popularity:
Overall usage of this name is somewhat rare. Even though it has been used in the early 20th century (with gender usage skewing masculine back then), much of its usage is concentrated on those born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. Percentage levels since the 2000s has been steady at above 0.005% for both genders, though sometimes it can cross the 0.01% threshold.

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

Shirabe (しらべ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: shee-rah–be [ɕì.ɾá.bé̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from the noun 調べ (shirabe) meaning “investigation, inspection; tune, note, melody.”

Popularity:
Overall usage for this name is very, perhaps extremely, rare, though gender usage is, applying a margin of error, somewhat even.
Telephone book data has 139 people with the kanji 調, though from my research, most of them would be men with their name reading of Osamu. As for other sources, I’ve only found 5 records from search results and 3 FamilySearch records (one born pre-WWII who is also recorded as Osamu). Percentage levels for the Heisei period (1989-2019) is 0.001% or less for both genders.

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

Hinata (ひなた)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: khee-nah-tah [çí.nà.tà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 日向 (hinata), referring to the direction the sun is shining ora sunny spot or place, derived from a combination of 日 (hi) meaning “sun,” the Old Japanese possessive particle な (na) and the suffix た (ta) referring to a direction or side, also found in pronouns, e.g あなた (anata).
Despite 日向 being the original form (and usage of this particular writing being more unisex), 陽向 is the most popular kanji writing for both genders (as a feminine name, the phonetic spelling, usually in hiragana, is the most often used overall). Other than these three main writings, there is a myriad of writings for Hinata as well.

  • Single kanji or combinations related to 日向:
    • 陽, 日陽, 日暖, etc.
    • 暖 meaning “warmth”
    • 光陽, 光 meaning “light; ray, beam, glow”
    • 優陽, 優 meaning “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority”
    • 光優, 晃優, etc., 晃 meaning “brilliant, bright, dazzling”
    • 陽空, 暖空, etc., 空/天 meaning “sky” (more often used for boys)
    • 太陽, from taiyō referring to the sun (more often used for boys)
    • 大空, from oozora referring to the big sky, the heavens, firmament, etc. (more often used for boys)
    • 陽晴, 天晴, etc., 晴 meaning “clear, fine”
  • Combinations related to 向日葵 (himawari), referring to a sunflower:
    • 陽葵/日葵, 向葵, etc.
    • 陽咲/日咲, 咲 meaning “blossom”
    • 日向葵, 陽向葵, etc.
    • 陽菜/日菜, 菜 meaning “greens”
  • Other imagery or actions for 日向:
    • 陽愛, 愛 meaning “love, affection” (more often used for girls)
    • 陽翔, 陽飛, from 飛翔 (hishō) meaning “flight, flying, soaring” (more often used for boys)
    • 陽詩/日詩, 陽歌, etc., 詩 meaning “poem” and 歌 meaning “song”
      • in turn: 陽奏, 奏陽, 陽音, etc., 奏 meaning “playing music” and 音 meaning “sound”
    • 陽叶, 叶 meaning “grant, answer”
    • 日宝, 宝 meaning “treasure”
    • 日笑, 笑 meaning “smile”

For boys, it is also common to combine a single kanji for this name, like 陽 but also 輝 meaning “brightness, brilliance,” a hi+na combination (which we will get to) or 雛, which means “doll,” with a ta kanji, like 太 meaning “plump, thick,” 大 meaning “large, big,” 汰 meaning “wash, scour” or 多 meaning “many, much,” the final one being used for girls as well. As for hi and na kanji, they are included in the table below:

hi (ひ) na (な)
日/陽 see above 那 phonetic kanji
柊 “false holly” 奈 phonetic kanji
緋 “scarlet” 菜 see above
飛 see above 凪 “calm, lull”
比 phonetic kanji 南 “south”
妃/姫 “princess” 夏 “summer”
和 “calm, gentle”
七 “seven”

Popularity:
In use since at least the 1970s, much of the people with this name were born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. In 1990, it was given to less than 0.005% of both boys and girls. The name started to rise in 1992, albeit at a small rate, though by the time it experienced a second, more prominent uptick in usage in 1996, it was given to over 0.03% of girls and well over 0.05% of boys. As of the time of writing, I have not being able to determine the cause(s) of these two upticks in popularity.
By 2000, usage of this name briefly flipped towards feminine with over 0.23% of girls and well over 0.15% of boys receiving this name. At this point, Hinata was about to enter the top 100 for both girls and boys. Seven years later, over 0.6% of boys and over 0.48% of girls received this name, by then placing Hinata within the top 50 for both genders. Based on survey data from Tamahiyo, Meiji Yasuda Life and Baby Calendar and my preliminary 2014-9 names research, during this time period, percentages are averaged at over 1% for boys and over 0.7% for girls.

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

Kanade (かなで)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: kah-nah–de [kà.ná.dé̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from the stem of the verb 奏でる (kanaderu) meaning “to play (an instrument).” As for other ways to write this name, the single kanji is most commonly prefixed with a ka kanji, like:

  • 花 meaning “flower”
  • 夏 meaning “summer”
  • 香 meaning “fragrance”
  • 果 meaning “fruit”
  • 佳 meaning “beautiful, good”
  • 楓 meaning “maple”
  • 叶 meaning “grant, answer”
  • 架 meaning “rack, mount, stand”
  • 風 meaning “wind”

A ka kanji can also be followed by 撫, from the stem of the verb 撫でる (naderu) meaning “to stroke, caress, pat, rub.” Occasionally, a kanji which shifts its reading to de can follow 奏, e.g. 天 meaning “sky.” Sometimes, another kanji can be added to 奏, whether after or before it, to enhance its image, such combinations include, 奏音, the other kanji meaning “sound,” and 奏心/心奏, the other kanji meaning “heart, mind.”

Popularity:
In use since at least the 1970s, the majority of its usage is concentrated on those born in the 21st century. In 1990, it was given to over 0.01% of girls and less than 0.002% of boys, gradually increasing to over 0.03% for girls and under 0.01% for boys by 2000. The rise of Kanade steepened between 2003 and 2007, by which point over 0.12% of girls and over 0.04% of boys received this name.
Since then, usage stabilised somewhat for girls, though it increased a bit for boys. Based on my preliminary 2014-9 names research combined with rankings data from Baby Calendar, over 0.12% of girls born in that time period were given this name compared to over 0.07% of baby boys.

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

Sora (そら)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: so-rah [só̞.ɾà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name stems from the word 空 (sora) meaning “sky,” as a name also written as 昊, 宙, 天 and 穹. 大空 and 青空 (also, and more popularly, 蒼空 and 碧空) are also used, normally read as oozora and aozora and meaning “(literally) big sky, heavens, firmament, the blue” and “blue sky” respectively. The first kanji for aozora can also be used as a single kanji.
As far as other 2-kanji combinations go, the single kanji mentioned at the beginning are used as both a first and second element kanji. Other kanji in use for this type of combinations are shown in the table below:

so (そ) ra (ら)
奏 “playing music” 来/來 “arrival”
爽 “fresh” 良 “good”
想 “conception, idea, thought” 咲 “blossom”
颯 “quick, sudden” 楽 “comfort, ease”
壮 “vibrancy, strength, bravery” 桜 “cherry (tree, blossom)”
創 “making, building; start, origin, beginning” 愛 “love, affection”
星 “star”
翔 “fly, soar”
蘭 “orchid”
頼 “request, favour; trust”
礼 “gratitude; manners; gift”
麗 “lovely, beautiful”
大 “large, big”
虎 “tiger”

Image-based kanji combinations are not out of the question for Sora, most of which include:

  • 夏空, the first kanji meaning “summer”
  • 叶空, the first kanji meaning “grant, answer”
  • 希空, the first kanji meaning “rare” or part of 希望 (kibō) meaning “hope, wish, aspiration”
  • 輝空, the first kanji meaning “brightness, brilliance”
  • 幸空, the first kanji meaning “good luck, happiness”
  • 澄空, the first kanji meaning “lucidity, transparency”
  • 星空 – see the table above for 星
  • 美空, the first kanji meaning “beauty”
  • 夢空, the first kanji meaning “dream”
  • 優空, the first kanji meaning “gentle, elegant”

Simply put, the sky really is the limit for this name!

Popularity:
Although in use since at least the early 20th century, the name started to see its first signs of an increase in popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1990, it was given to just over 0.01% of both boys and girls. By the mid-1990s, the increase gets steeper, the percentages increasing to over 0.08% for boys and over 0.04% for girls by 1996, over 0.3% and over 0.12% by 2000 and over 0.84% and over 0.32% by 2007.
By then, Sora began to maintain its position within the boys’ top 20 and the lower half of the girls’ top 100, though over the past few years, the name flip flops out and back in the boys’ top 20, based on data from Baby Calendar, Tamahiyo and Meiji Yasuda Life.

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

Sōta (そうた)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: so:-tah [só̞ò̞.tà]
Variant transliterations: Sota, Souta, Sohta

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element of this name is most commonly written as 太 meaning “plump, thick,” with other ta kanji in use including 大 meaning “large, big,” 汰 meaning “wash, scour” and 多 meaning “many, much.” Second element kanji that are used more recently have ta as part of a reading (be it Sino-Japanese, native or name) and they include:

  • 泰 meaning “quiet, peaceful; great, excessive”
  • 空/天 meaning “sky”
  • 詩 meaning “poem”
  • 龍/竜 meaning “dragon”
  • 達 meaning “reach, arrive, attain”
  • 樹 meaning “tree”

As for the first element, any kanji with the reading sō can be used, most of them including:

  • 颯* meaning “sudden, quick”
  • 蒼 meaning “blue”
  • 壮 meaning “vibrancy, strength, bravery”
  • 創 meaning “making, building; start, origin, beginning”
  • 聡 meaning “wise”
  • 奏 meaning “playing music”
  • 爽 meaning “fresh”
  • 想 meaning “conception, idea, thought”
  • 湊 meaning “harbour, port”
  • 草 meaning “grass”
  • 早 meaning “early”
  • 宗 meaning “sect”
  • 綜 meaning “rule, synthesise”
  • 惣/総 meaning “whole, all”
  • 相 meaning “appearance, look”
  • 崇 meaning “respect”

* 楓, meaning “maple,” is also occasionally used for its similarity to 颯

Popularity:
This name was already in use by the Meiji period (1868-1912), though it was very uncommon at the time, becoming very rare before World War II. It would not start increasing again until the 1970s and 1980s.
By 1990, it was given to over 0.07% of boys, gradually increasing to over 0.25% by 1996 before jumping a tad more steeply to over 0.75% by 2000 and over 1.35% by 2004. Around that time, Sōta was already ranking within the top 10. Since the mid-2010s, Sōta is consistently ranked in 2nd place with an average of over 1.5%, well behind the top ranking boy name Haruto.

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