opening

Kaishū (かいしゅう)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: kah-ee-shuu [ká.ì.ɕɨ̀ᵝː]
Variant transliterations: Kaishu, Kaishuu

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The most commonly used form of this name is 海舟, individually meaning “sea, ocean” and “ship, boat.” Most of the other kanji used for this name can be seen in the table below:

kai (かい) shū (しゅう)
快 “pleasure, delight” 秀 “excellence”
魁 “pioneer, leader” 州/洲 “state, province”
凱 “triumph, victory” 周 “circumference”
介 “mediation” 修 “discipline”
開 “opening” 秋 “autumn”
櫂 “paddle, oar” 柊 “false holly”
改 “revision” 集 “collection, compilation”

Popularity:
Overall usage for this name is very uncommon with much of its usage being concentrated on those born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards (from telephone book data, the overall percentage is calculated at around 0.0003%).
The rise of this name in the Heisei period was initialised by the jidaigeki ‘Katsu Kaishū’, broadcast at the end of 1990 which chronicled the life of the Bakumatsu era (1853-1868) statesman and naval engineer (his nickname Kaishū written as 海舟). By 1991, around 0.004% of boys received this name, compared to 0.001% in 1990 and almost zero in 1989. From 1993 to the late 2000s, percentages rose above 0.008%, occasionally rising above 0.015%.
Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, the average percentage from 2017-20 is over 0.015%, rising back after a brief dropdown in the first half of the 2010s.

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.

Keiichirō (けいいちろう)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: ke:–ee-chee-ro: [kè̞é̞.í.tɕì.ɾò̞ː]
Variant transliterations: Keiichiro, Keiichirou

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element of this name is usually written as 一郎, combined from the two kanji meaning “one” and “son” respectively, referring to a first son. Substitute kanji for this element include 市 (ichi) meaning “market, fair,” 朗 (rō) meaning “cheerful” and 良 (rō) meaning “good.”
As for the first element, any kanji with the reading kei can be used, such as:

  • 圭 meaning “angle, edge”
  • 慶 meaning “delight, pleasure”
  • 啓 meaning “opening”
  • 敬 meaning “reverence, respect”
  • 恵/慧 meaning “wisdom”
  • 佳 meaning “beautiful, good”
  • 桂, referring to the katsura tree
  • 景 meaning “view, scene, vista”
  • 渓 meaning “valley”
  • 継 meaning “succession, continuation”
  • 計 meaning “plan; measurement”

Popularity:
The name rose and peaked in the 19th century portion of the Meiji period (1868-1912) with percentage levels topping over 0.1%. By the early 20th century, it dropped to 0.03% or less and it wouldn’t rise again until around 1960. This particular rise in usage was influenced by actor Akagi Keiichirō, whose appearances in films throughout his short career led to such nicknames as ‘The Third Man’, ‘Cool Guy’ and ‘Japanese James Dean’. By the 1970s, the name rose to just over 0.09% before dropping down under 0.04% by the early 1990s.
Apart from a brief jump in 1994 to over 0.075% (the cause of which I am unable to find as of the time of writing), usage levels remained fairly stable throughout the Heisei period (1989-2019), though as of late, based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my preliminary 2014-20 names research, average percentage levels may have dropped a little bit to just under 0.03%.

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

Takahiro (たかひろ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: tah-kah-khee-ro [tà.ká.çì.ɾò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name, to put it briefly, is a combination of the stem of adjectives 高い (takai) meaning “high, tall” and 広(廣)/弘/宏い (hiroi) meaning “spacious, vast, wide,” the latter also written as 浩, 博, 裕, 紘, 絋 and 拡 when using it for a name. For the first element, 鷹, which refers to a hawk, can also be used.
Other kanji in use for this name can be seen in the table below:

taka (たか) hiro (ひろ)
貴/尊 “precious, valuable” 洋 “ocean, sea”
隆 “prosperous” 大 “big, large”
孝 “filial piety” 寛 “broadminded”
崇 “respect” 啓 “opening”
敬*/尚 “reverence, respect” 太 “plump, thick”
卓 “preeminence, excellence; table, desk” 央 “middle, centre”
雄 “male” 公 “monarch, ruler”
嵩 “bulk, volume, quantity” 玄 “deep, profound; mystery, occult”
剛 “strong, hard”
誉 “honour”
聖 “sacred, holy”
峰 “peak, summit”

* also used in the 2nd element
At least two other combinations can be used as well which do not really fit to this table which include 太陽, from taiyō which refers to the sun, and 宇宙, from uchū meaning “universe, cosmos, space.”

Popularity:
Takahiro had been used as an adulthood name among the upper class before the Meiji period (1868-1912) with at least 15 examples found on Wikipedia, one of them being Matsumae Takahiro (1829-1966), a daimyō of the Matsumae Domain in southern Hokkaido. Among the wider population throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name was (very) uncommon.
It started to become more popular in the 1940s and 1950s, entering the top 100 in the mid-1950s and rising to the inside of the top 30 by the early 1960s. The peak decade of the name’s popularity was the 1980s when it ranked inside the top 10 and being given to over a percent of boys born back then. Regarding Heisei period (1989-2019) popularity, it still ranked inside the top 10 by 1990 though by then, it was starting to drop in popularity, falling to over 0.23% by 2000, in effect starting to rank outside the top 100. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, the average percentage for that time frame dropped to over 0.06%.

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

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.

Kaito (かいと)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: kah-ee-to [ká.ì.tò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The most popular form of this name is 海斗, made up of 海 (kai) meaning “sea, ocean” and 斗 (to), referring to the Chinese constellation known as the Dipper. Other combinations include:

ka (か) i (い) to (と)
快 “pleasure, delight” 翔/飛 “fly, soar”
凱 “triumph, victory” 人 “person”
魁 “pioneer, leader” 音 “sound”
開 “opening” 都 “metropolis”
櫂 “paddle, oar” 仁 “benevolence, compassion, humanity”
桧 “hinoki cypress” 叶 “grant, answer”
恢 “enlarge” 士 “warrior; samurai”
鎧 “armour” 登 “ascent”
戒 “commandment” 杜 “shrine grove”
改 “revision​” 渡 “crossing, passage”
界 “world” 大 “large, big”
絵 “picture, drawing” 土 “earth, soil, dirt”
介 “mediation” 虎 “tiger”
諧 “harmony” 冬 “winter”
浬 “nautical mile” 燈 “light, lamp”
佳 “beautiful, good” 衣 “clothing” 澄 “lucidity, transparency”
楓 “maple” 唯/惟 “only” 橙 “bitter orange”
夏 “summer” 一 “one” 豊 “abundant, wealthy, plentiful, rich”
和 “harmony, peace; sum” 弦/絃 “(bow)string”
嘉 “praise, esteem” 糸 “thread, yarn, string”
珂 “jewel” 綸 “thread”

Popularity:
The name began rising in popularity in the 1980s (there are several cases of Kaito being used on men born before then). In 1990, it was given to over 0.04% of boys, rising to over 0.42% by 1996 and jumping to over 1.05% by 2000. Since then, it has, for the most part, stayed within the top 20, sometimes being used by over 1% of baby boys. For 2019, based on my preliminary 2014-9 names research and data from Tamahiyo, Meiji Yasuda Life and Baby Calendar, it was given to well over 0.85% of baby boys.

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

Kairi (かいり)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: kah-ee-rʸee [ká.ì.ɾʲì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is mainly written as 海里/浬, referring to a nautical mile (the latter writing was only added to the Jinmeiyō (personal name kanji) list in 2004). There are many other combinations used for this name, as outlined in the table below:

ka (か) i (い) ri (り)
快 “pleasure, delight” 理 “reason, logic”
魁 “pioneer, leader” 利 “advantage, benefit”
櫂 “paddle, oar” 吏 “officer”
凱 “triumph, victory” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli”
桧 “hinoki cypress” 李 “Japanese/Chinese plum”
開 “opening” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine”
皆 “all” 琉 part of 琉璃 (ruri)
加 “addition” 偉 “greatness” 凛/凜 “cold; dignified”
可 “acceptable, fair” 伊 phonetic kanji 玲 “tinkling”
夏 “summer” 衣 “clothing” 龍 “dragon”
花/華 “flower” 威 “power, authority, might” 梨 “pear”
俐 “clever”
陸 “land, shore”
鈴 “bell”

Popularity:
Usage for this name is mostly concentrated on those born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards, in particular, those born since the turn of the 21st century.
In 1989, it was only given to no more than 0.003% of both boys and girls, rising to over 0.055% for the boys and over 0.015% for the girls by 2000. According to my preliminary 2014-8 names research, over 0.27% of boys and over 0.025% of girls received this name in that period, placing it Kairi in the bottom quarter of the boys’ top 100.

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

Takuya (たくや)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: tah-kuu-yah [tá.kɯ̟̀ᵝ.jà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
For the first element, any kanji with the on’yomi reading taku can be used, such as 拓 meaning “opening,” 卓 meaning “preeminence, excellence; table, desk,” 琢 meaning “polish, shine” or 託 meaning “entrusting.” It can also be split into two kanji, with a ta kanji like 汰 meaning “wash, scour,” 太 meaning “plump, thick” or 多 meaning “many, much,” and a ku kanji, e.g. 久 meaning “long time.” As for the second element, it can be used as

  • 也, a phonetic kanji but can refer to the archaic auxiliary verb なり (nari) meaning “to be”
  • 哉, a phonetic kanji
  • 弥 meaning “increase”
  • 矢 meaning “arrow”
  • 耶, a phonetic kanji
  • 野 meaning “field”
  • 八 meaning “eight”

Popularity:
Although in use by the early 20th century, the name didn’t began to pick up steam until the 1960s when over 0.2% of boys were given this name in that decade. By the 1970s, it was in the top 50 with just under 0.5%, rising further to over 1.1% throughout the 1980s.
Takuya’s peak period of popularity was in the first 6 years of the Heisei period (1989-2019) when well over 1.6% of boys received this name every year at that time, placing it in 2nd or 3rd place, behind the millennial generation’s stalwart Yūki. The peak year was 1991 with over 1.94% of boys born with this name, dropping to over 1.66% by 1995. The next year though, the percentage more than halved to over 0.8%, thus beginning its drastic decline in popularity.
By the turn of the 20th century, the name’s usage more than halved again to over 0.39%, dropping to over 0.15% by 2007, meaning that, by then, it effectively left the top 100. According to my preliminary research into names from the period between 2014-8, it was given to just over 0.02% of boys, making Takuya a particularly dated name today.

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

Haruto (はると)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: hah-ruu-to [há.ɾɯ̟̀ᵝ.tò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Currently, the most popular form of this name is 陽翔, made up of 陽 meaning “day, sun” and 翔 meaning “fly, soar.” Excluding alternative forms of kanji, from my research, there are well over 2,500 combinations of Haruto, so it is impossible for me to go over every kanji I’ve found without taking an extremely huge chunk of the article, so I am going over some of the kanji used for this name.
For the first element, among other themes, there are 3 main ones where the kanji are grouped in, with overlap for some:

  • Related/connotated to 遥か/遙か (haruka) “far off, distant”:
    • Shared meanings: 悠 and 遼
    • 大* meaning “large, big”
    • 治 meaning “govern, manage”
    • 永* meaning “long”
    • 浩 meaning “spacious, vast, wide”
  • Related/connotated to 晴れ (hare) “clear/fine weather”:
    • 啓/開 meaning “opening”
    • 青/蒼, generally meaning “blue”
    • 天 meaning “sky”
    • 明 meaning “bright”
    • 日 meaning “day”
  • Related/connotated to 春 (haru) “spring”:
    • 暖/温 meaning “warmth”
    • 桜 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom)”
    • 華/花 meaning “flower”

There are instances of Haruto being written with a single kanji, such kanji including 悠, 晴 and 暖. As for the second element*, some of the kanji used there include:

  • 斗, referring to the Chinese constellation known as the Dipper
  • 人 meaning “person”
  • 仁 meaning “benevolence, compassion, humanity”
  • 音 meaning “sound”
  • 登 meaning “ascent”
  • 都 meaning “metropolis”
  • 士 meaning “warrior; samurai”
  • 叶 meaning “grant, answer”
  • 飛 meaning “fly, soar”

Popularity:
Although it has been in use since at least the Meiji period (1868-1912), for over a century it had been an uncommonly used name. Throughout much of the 1990s, Haruto had been on a steady climb, rising from over 0.02% in 1990 to over 0.09% in 1996, though by 1998, the steady climb had turned into a steep jump into popularity. What prompted this jump is the birth of the son of Amuro Namie, now retired from the music and entertainment business, which, when looking at the context, is no surprise given her star power at the time.
By 2004, it was already given to more than a percent of boys, doubling to well over 2% by the end of the 2000s. By then, Haruto became the top Japanese boy name, which it has been now for the last 10 years or so and will remain on top for a while as we head forward into the current Reiwa period.

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

Hirari (ひらり)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: khee-rah–rʸee [çì.ɾá.ɾʲí]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The name looks as if it is derived from an onomatopoeic adverb meaning “nimbly, lightly,” though as the next section below shows, that only partly counts for its usage. Though it is mainly written phonetically, it can also be written with various kanji combinations, as seen below:

hi (ひ) ra (ら) ri (り)
平 “even, flat” 里 “village”
啓/拓 “opening” 理 “reason, logic”
閃 “flash, flicker” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine”
比 phonetic kanji 良 “good” 梨 “pear”
陽 “sun” 来 “arrival” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli”
姫/妃 “princess” 楽 “comfort, ease” 李 “Japanese/Chinese plum”
緋 “scarlet”
秀 “excellence”

There are also combinations not listed in the table, such as adding a hi kanji (full or partial), like 陽 or 光 (hikari) meaning “light; ray, beam, glow,” and a ri kanji or writing the first kanji with one that pertains to the adverb, like 舞 meaning “dance,” among many other ways to be creative with this name.

Popularity:
Though this name has seen a few uses before the 1990s, the name didn’t really began to be used until 1992 with the first peak occurring a year later with 0.011% of girls being given this name in 1993. This coincided with the election of Bill Clinton as president of the United States (Hillary being the first lady) and while at first it may seem like it outright influenced its rise, another influence for it could be the asadora (morning drama) ‘Hirari’ whose main character’s name is shared, which was broadcast from October 1992 to April 1993.
The name fell back to over 0.004% in 1994 but slowly gained back some usage over the next ten years, next peaking in the early-mid 2000s with over 0.011% of girls receiving this name by 2004 before dropping back down (in a more gradual fashion) to over 0.004% again by the end of the 2000s.

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