popular japanese name

Moe (もえ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mo-e [mó̞.è̞]
Archaic writing: もゑ (Mowe)

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 萌え/萠え (moe) meaning “sprouting, budding​.” This kanji, along with other kanji with the (partial) reading mo like 望, shortened from the first part of 望月 (mochidzuki), referring to the 15th day of the lunar month and the full moon, 百 meaning “hundred” or 茂 meaning “luxuriant,” can be combined with an e kanji, much of which can be seen below:

  • 恵/慧 “wisdom”
  • 絵 “picture, drawing”
  • 衣 “clothing”
  • 笑/咲 “smile”
  • 瑛 “crystal”
  • 愛 “beloved”
  • 映 “reflection”
  • 永 “eternity”
  • 江 “inlet, bay”
  • 枝 “branch, bough”
  • 依 “reliance, dependence”
  • 英 “wisdom, brilliance”
  • 詠 “recitation”
  • 栄/榮 “glory, prosperity”

Popularity:
Before 萌 was added as a Jinmeiyō (personal name) kanji in October 1981, usage of this name was rare to very uncommon, much of it occurring in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the start of the Heisei period (1989-2019), it was ranking outside the top 100 with usage levels near 0.2%, though it would rise throughout the 1990s and peak at the turn of the millennium within the 0.6% range.
Though it would remain relatively popular in the first half of the 2000s, the name would experience a noticeable drop in 2005, leaving the top 100 for good by 2006 with percentages dropping to over 0.1% and going further to below 0.1% from the 2010s onward. This sudden drop in usage in 2005-6 seems to be influenced by the usage of 萌え/萠え as an anime and manga slang term, referring to feelings of affection, adoration and devotion towards a fictional character, that became increasingly known at the time.

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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.

Haruma (はるま)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: hah-ruu-mah [há.ɾɯ̟̀ᵝ.mà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is a combination of the element haru and a ma kanji, most of them included in the list below:

  • 真/眞 meaning “truth”
  • 馬 meaning “horse”
  • 磨/摩 meaning “polish, shine”
  • 慎/愼 meaning “careful, discreet”
  • 誠 meaning “truth, reality”
  • 翔 meaning “fly, soar”
  • 雅 meaning “refinement, elegance”
  • 麻 meaning “hemp, flax”
  • 守 meaning “protection”
  • 万 meaning “ten thousand”
  • 舞 meaning “dance”
  • 茉, part of 茉莉 (matsuri) referring to the Arabian jasmine
  • 希/稀 meaning “rare”
  • 将 meaning “exact, precise”
  • 大 meaning “big, large”
  • 満 meaning “full, whole”
  • 優 meaning “excellence, superiority”
  • 天 meaning “sky”

Popularity:
Usage of this name was somewhat rare up until the 1990s when it began to slowly rise in popularity, from over 0.01% in 1990 to over 0.04% by 2000. The rise steepened throughout the 2000s, rising to over 0.15% by 2007 before entering the top 100 for the first time by 2008. By 2009, it was given to well over 0.45% of baby boys, no doubt influenced by the now late actor Miura Haruma.
Based on my preliminary 2014-20 names research combined with survey data from Meiji Yasuda Life and Tamahiyo (+ Baby Calendar in later years), the name peaked in popularity in 2014 with the percentage averaging at well over 1.1%, placing it within the top 10. As of 2020, based on the aforementioned sources, the calculated percentage sits at well over 0.5%, ranking within the bottom half of the top 50.

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

Haru (はる)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: hah-ruu [há.ɾɯ̟̀ᵝ]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is generally derived from 春, referring to the season of spring, with other kanji with relation or connotations to this including 暖/温 meaning “warmth,” 華/花 meaning “flower” and 桜 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom)” (華/花 and 桜 mostly feminine). It can also be written with kanji that relate to 晴れ (hare) meaning “clear/fine weather” (陽/日 meaning “day, sun,” 青/蒼, generally meaning “blue,” 明 meaning “bright,” etc.) or 遥か/遙か (haruka) meaning “far off, distant” (悠 or 遼, 治 meaning “govern, manage,” 永 meaning “long,” etc.).
A ru kanji, like 琉/瑠, part of 琉璃/瑠璃 (ruri) meaning “lapis lazuli,” 流 meaning “current, flow” or 留 meaning “stop,” can suffix these single kanji alongside kanji with the reading ha, such as 羽 meaning “feather,” 葉 meaning “leaf” or 波 meaning “wave.”

Popularity:
The earliest example of this name being used for females was from the late Nara period (710-794) (back then suffixed with suffixed with 賣/女 (me)), found in Tsunoda’s book. It would not be found in his book again until you get to the section for the Kamakura period (1185–1333) with at least 4 examples found. By the early Edo period (1603-1868), it was already a somewhat commonly used feminine name (mainly written phonetically) with percentages at any one time not below 1%, which would stay that way through to the latter half of the Meiji period (1868-1912).
By the 1910s, Haru already started to drop down in popularity and it was at this time that rare masculine usage can be encountered. By the time the Shōwa period (1926-1989) started, it was already out of the top 100. It would remain rarely used for both genders throughout the middle and latter thirds of the Shōwa period before rising in the Heisei period (1989-2019). In this period, the gender proportion of this name has shifted, turning Haru to a mainly masculine name with significant feminine usage. It has been ranking in the boys’ top 50 for over 15 years now with percentages not below 0.4% while spending some of that time in the bottom half of the girls’ top 100, sometimes ranking within the top 50 there.

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

Kaho (かほ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: kah-ho [ká.hò̞]

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

ka (か) ho (ほ)
花/華 “flower” 穂/穗 “ear/head (of plant); point, tip”
果 “fruit” 帆 “sail”
佳 “beautiful, good” 歩 “step”
香 “fragrance” 保 “protection; preservation”
夏 “summer” 朋 “friend, companion”
歌 “song” 萌 “bud, sprout”
可 “acceptable, fair” 芳 “fragrance, aroma”
加 “addition” 甫 “first”
奏 “playing music” 方 “direction, way, side”
楓/椛 “maple”
伽 “nursing, attending, entertaining”
嘉 “praise, esteem”
圭 “angle, edge”
叶 “grant, answer”
賀 “congratulation”
雅 “elegance, grace”
樺/椛 “birch”

Popularity:
The name was very uncommonly to rarely used before the second half of the 1980s when it began rising in popularity, likely influenced by actress Minami Kaho. In 1989, it was given to just over 0.1%, rising to over 0.31% by 1992, by then already ranking inside the top 100.
Since the second half of the 1990s, Kaho has stayed ranking within the top 50 with percentages always over 0.4%. Based on surveys from multiple sources, the name seems to have peaked in popularity in around 2015 and 2016 with percentage levels averaging at over 0.8%. As of the past few years though, it seems to be falling down in popularity with the average percentage for 2020 being somewhere within the 0.5% range.

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

Hikari (ひかり)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: khkah–rʸee [çì̥.ká.ɾʲí]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 光 (hikari) meaning “light; ray, beam, glow” (as a feminine name, it is most commonly used phonetically). Other kanji used in relation or expanded from the noun include 輝 meaning “brightness, brilliance,” 陽 meaning “day; sun,” 晃/煌 meaning “brilliant, bright, dazzling,” 燈 meaning “light, lamp,” 星 meaning “star,” 彩 meaning “colour,” so on and so forth. These single kanji can also be suffixed with a ri kanji, which can be seen in the table below that shows ways to write a 3-kanji combination:

hi (ひ) ka (か) ri (り)
日/陽 see above 花/華 “flower” 里 “village”
妃/姫 “princess” 香/郁 “fragrance” 梨 “pear”
比 phonetic kanji 加 “addition” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine”
緋 “scarlet” 佳 “beautiful, good” 理 “reason, logic”
柊 “false holly” 夏 “summer” 利 “advantage, benefit”
飛 “fly, soar” 果 “fruit” 吏 “officer”
斐 “figure, design” 歌 “song” 俐 “clever”
枇 part of 枇杷 (biwa) “loquat” 可 “acceptable, fair”
翔 “fly, soar”
嘉 “praise, esteem”

Popularity:
From the Meiji period (1868-1912) to the middle third of the Shōwa period (1926-1989), Hikari was very uncommonly used though more spread out in terms of gender usage. Usage started to increase, especially for girls, in the 1980s. In 1990, it was given to over 0.17% of girls compared to just over 0.01% of boys, increasing to well over 0.27% for girls by 1994, by then within the bottom quarter of the top 100.
Percentage levels then stabilised somewhat throughout the rest of the 1990s and stretching into the early 2010s with relatively little upswing and downfall. Starting in 2015, usage began increasing again to the point that Hikari has been ranking within the top 30 for girls for the past few years on multiple surveys with percentage levels within the 0.6% range. As for its usage on baby boys, based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, the average percentage is over 0.04%.

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

Ayato (あやと)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: ah-yah-to [á.jà.tò̞]

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

aya (あや) to (と)
綾/文/紋 “figure, design” 斗 “the Dipper”
絢 “gorgeous, brilliant” 人 “person”
彩/采 “colour” 翔/飛 “fly, soar”
彪 “small tiger; tiger stripes” 仁 “benevolence, compassion, humanity”
礼 “gratitude; manners; gift” 都 “metropolis”
綺 “thin silk;” part of 綺麗 (kirei) “pretty; clean” 士 “warrior; samurai”
郁 “cultural progress” 音 “sound”
恵 “blessing, grace” 知/智 “wisdom”
理 “reason, logic” 大 “large, big”
英 “wisdom, brilliance” 杜 “shrine grove”
純 “pure, genuine” 叶 “grant, answer”
朱 “red” 登 “ascent”
史 “history” 澄 “lucidity, transparency”
彰 “clear” 渡 “crossing, passage”
章 “chapter” 門 “gate”
  冬 “winter”
  統 “rule, reign, government”
  柊 “false holly”
  隼 “peregrine falcon”

Popularity:
The name was very uncommon throughout much of the 20th century, but the Heisei period (1989-2019) as a whole was when Ayato grew in popularity. In 1990, it was given to more than 0.02% of boys, rising to over 0.08% by 2000 and over 0.17% by 2009. Based on data from Baby Calendar, Meiji Yasuda Life and Tamahiyo, the name has grown more steeply since the mid-2010s and as of 2020, the name is ranking in the 20s on all three sources with an average percentage of over 0.7%.

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

Riko (りこ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: rʸee-ko [ɾʲí.kò̞]

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

ri (り) ko (こ)
莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 子 “child”
璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli” 瑚 part of 珊瑚 (sango) “coral”
理 “reason, logic” 湖 “lake”
梨 “pear” 胡 “foreign;” part of 胡桃 (kurumi) “walnut”
里 “village” 琴 koto (the 13-stringed Japanese zither)
俐 “clever” 恋 “(romantic) love”
李 “Japanese/Chinese plum” 虹 “rainbow”
吏 “officer” 香 “fragrance”
浬 “nautical mile”
哩 “mile”
凛/凜 “cold; dignified”
倫 “ethics”
稟 “report”

Popularity:
For much of the 20th century, Riko was a (very) uncommonly used feminine name with usage levels not rising very much until the 1980s and 1990s. In 1990, it was given to only over 0.1% of girls, within the bottom section of the top 200. Throughout the decade, it grew more steeply in popularity, leading to its entry to the top 100 in 1997 with percentage levels at just under 0.3% and the top 50 two years later with percentage levels at just over 0.5%.
With the rise continuing into the 2000s, Riko peaked in popularity sometime in 2009 and 2010 with well over a percent of girls receiving this name, placing it within the top 10. While out of its peak since then, it still is a somewhat popular baby girl name, ranking, for the most part, in the teens with percentage levels hovering around the 0.8-0.9% range.

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.

Natsuki (なつき)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: nah-tskʸee [nà.tsɨ̥́ᵝ.kʲí]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
There are two main ways of writing this name, the first being 月 or 槻, meaning “moon” and “Japanese zelkova tree” respectively, following a na kanji, such as:

  • 奈 or 那, both phonetic kanji
  • 菜 meaning “greens”
  • 七 meaning “seven”
  • 渚 meaning “beach, shore”
  • 梛, referring to the Asian bayberry tree
  • 和 meaning “calm, gentle”
  • 南 meaning “south”
  • 苗 meaning “(rice) seedling, young plant”
  • 波 meaning “wave”
  • 楠, referring to the camphor tree

The second main way is 夏, 捺, the first meaning “summer” and the second a phonetic kanji that is otherwise referring to the stamping or applying/affixation of a seal, or phonetic writings of Natsu followed by a ki kanji, most including:

  • 希/稀 meaning “rare” or part of 希望 (kibō) meaning “hope, wish, aspiration”
  • 輝/暉 meaning “brightness, brilliance”
  • 樹/木 meaning “tree”
  • 葵, referring to a mallow (e.g. hollyhock) or a wild ginger; part of 向日葵 (himawari) “sunflower”
  • 姫 meaning “princess”
  • 妃 meaning “empress, queen”
  • 生 meaning “vitality”
  • 来/來 meaning “arrival”
  • 綺, either meaning “thin silk” or part of 綺麗 (kirei) meaning “pretty; clean”
  • 貴 meaning “precious, valuable”
  • 己, referring to the 6th heavenly stem in Chinese calendar
  • 季 meaning “season”
  • 毅 meaning “strong”
  • 紀 meaning “account, chronicle”
  • 基 meaning “origin”
  • 規 meaning “standard”

Other ways to write this name include a na+tsu+ki combination (tsu kanji including 津 meaning “harbour, haven,” 都 meaning “metropolis” and 月) and a very rare usage of 懐, from the continuative form of the verb 懐く (natsuku) meaning “to become emotionally attached/take (to).”

Popularity:
This name has been in use since at least the latter half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), however it was in rare use (also more mixed in terms of gender, though slightly masculine leaning). The name first began to see small increases as a masculine name in the 1960s and 1970s, though the latter decade was when it started to increase a tad more steeply as a feminine name.
By 1990, it was already within the top 50 for girls with percentage at over 0.62% (for boys, it was at over 0.07%). Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, percentages flip flopped around the 0.6% line, sometimes being given to over 0.5% of girls, other times at over 0.6%, maintaining its position in the top 50 throughout, even as it started to drop more generally in the mid to late 2000s. By 2009, over 0.43% of girls and over 0.08% of boys received this name.
Based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my preliminary 2014-9 names research, Natsuki is now out of the top 50 but still ranks within the top 100 for girls with over 0.3% of girls receiving this name each year. For boys, there has been a slight increase compared to the 2000s with percentages ranging from 0.14% up to over 0.2% in any given year in that time period.

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