shine

Mami (まみ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mah-mʸee [má.mʲì]

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

ma (ま) mi (み)
真/眞 “pure, true” 美/深 “beauty”
麻 “hemp, flax” 実 “seed; fruit”
茉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 未 sign of the Sheep; part of 未来 (mirai) “future”
磨/摩 “polish, shine” 海 “sea, ocean”
舞 “dance” 珠 “gem, jewel”
万 “ten thousand” 巳 sign of the Snake
満 “full, whole”* 弥 “increase”
愛 “beloved” 望 “desire, wish, hope”
稀/希 “rare” 見 “looking, viewing”
己 6th heavenly stem in Chinese calendar
水 “water”
心 “heart, mind”
三 “three”

* can also be used as a second element kanji

Popularity:
Mami started rising in usage after the Second World War (before, it was very uncommon to rare), entering the top 100 by the second half of the 1950s. However, it ranked at the bottom half (largely staying within the upper 0.2% range) and would exit the top 100 by the mid-1960s before re-entering in the mid-1970s.
Its general peak of popularity occurred in the 1980s and early 1990s when it ranked up to just outside the top 25 and usage levels generally ranged between 0.7% and 0.8%. From then on, it gradually fell in popularity, leaving the top 100 by the turn of the millennium. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-21 names research, the average percentage from 2017-21 fell to below 0.03%.

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Sachi (さち)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: sah-chee [sá.tɕì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 幸/倖 (sachi) meaning “good luck, happiness.” The word itself (also applying to its bound/original form satsu) was originally used with relation to hunting (thus it is speculated to have a possible relation to Korean 살 (sal) meaning “arrow”) and the current meanings may have been adopted from the Chinese source.
Other single kanji used in relation to the ideas of good luck and happiness include 祥 meaning “blessedness, (good) omen” and 福 meaning “good fortune, happiness, blessing, good luck.” The aforementioned kanji can also be used as part of a 2-kanji combination on either element. The second element is mainly written as either 智/知 (chi) meaning “wisdom” or 千 (chi) meaning “thousand,” but can also be written as 茅, from chigaya which refers to cogon grass, or 稚 (chi) meaning “young, new.” As for the first element, it can be written as:

  • 紗 meaning “gauze”
  • 沙/砂 meaning “sand”
  • 早 meaning “early”
  • 佐 meaning “help”
  • 咲 meaning “blossom”
  • 彩/采 meaning “colouring”
  • 桜/櫻 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom)”
  • 嵯, part of 嵯峨 (saga) meaning “high and steep, precipitous”
  • 瑳 meaning “polish, shine”
  • 左 meaning “left”
  • 小 meaning “small”
  • 冴 meaning “clarity; skilfulness”
  • 裟, part of 袈裟 (kesa), referring to robes of fully ordained Buddhist monks and nuns
  • 爽 meaning “fresh”
  • 才 meaning “ability, gift, talent”

Popularity:
Usage of this name since the latter part of the Edo period (1603-1868) is uncommon. Percentage wise, it generally stayed within the 0.1% range, from the late Edo period through to the 1930s and then from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s.
Regarding current popularity, it has fallen to below 0.1% since the mid-1990s, though it only occasionally drops below 0.05%. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-21 names research, the average percentage from 2017-21 is just over 0.075%.

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Mayuri (まゆり)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mah-yuu–rʸee [mà.jɯ̟́ᵝ.ɾʲí]

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

ma (ま) yu (ゆ) ri (り)
真/眞 “pure, true” 百合 “lily”
麻 “hemp, flax” 由 “reason, cause” 里 “village”
茉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 優 “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri)
万 “ten thousand” 友 “friend” 理 “reason, logic”
満 “full, whole” 佑/祐/佑/侑 “help” 梨 “pear”
摩/磨 “polish, shine” 有 “existence” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli”
舞 “dance” 悠 “quiet, calm; far off, distant” 利 “advantage, benefit”
愛 “beloved” 結 “tie, bond” 李 “Japanese/Chinese plum”
雅 “refinement, elegance” 夕 “evening” 吏 “officer”
柚 “yuzu fruit” 凛/凜 “cold; dignified”
唯 “only” 栞 “bookmark”
裕 “abundant, rich”
遊 “play”
夢 “dream”

Popularity:
Overall usage of this name is uncommon, only starting to rise in the middle of the Shōwa period (1926-1989). In any given year in the 1990s and 2000s, usage levels generally rise above 0.01%. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-21 names research, by that time frame, percentages usually tend to go above 0.02%.

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Kurama (くらま)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: kuu-rah-mah [kɯ̟́ᵝ.ɾà.mà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is a combination of 蔵(藏)/倉/庫 (kura) meaning “warehouse, storehouse” and a ma kanji, like 馬 meaning “horse,” 真/眞 meaning “truth,” 磨 meaning “polish, shine” or 麻 meaning “hemp, flax.”
The writing 鞍馬, the first kanji meaning “saddle,” refers to Mount Kurama in the north of Kyōto and Kurama-dera, the temple at the base of the mountain. At present, no evidence of this writing being used as a given name is found.

Popularity:
In use since at least the early 20th century, this name is rarely used with most of the bearers born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. Usage levels in the 1990s maxed out at 0.001% but beginning in the early 2000s, percentages rose above it, occassionally rising above 0.005%.

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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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Sayo (さよ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: sah-yo [sá.jò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 小夜 (sayo) meaning “night.” Other kanji for this name can be seen in the table below:

sa (さ) yo (よ)
紗 “gauze” 代/世 “generation”
沙/砂 “sand” 与 “gift, award”
佐 “help” 予 phonetic kanji*
彩/采 “colouring” 葉 “leaf”
早 “early” 誉 “honour”
瑳 “polish, shine” 容 “form, shape, figure”
裟 part of 袈裟 (kesa), robes of fully ordained Buddhist monks and nuns 陽 “day; sun”
依 “reliance, dependence”
詠 “recitation”
蓉 part of 芙蓉 (fuyō) “Confederate rose”

* can refer to the formal/literary first-person personal pronoun

Popularity:
In use since at least the Muromachi period (1336-1573) when female names were mainly suffixed with 賣/女 (me), usage of Sayo grew in usage in the Edo period (1603-1868), by then mainly written phonetically. Regarding its usage in the latter portion, on average (based on Tsunoda and Collazo), it ranks within the top 30 with percentages mainly above 0.7%.
It would remain somewhat common into the first half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), though it would drop down in usage in the early 20th century and become rarely used by the 1950s. It wouldn’t rise again until the 1980s but this time around, it’s on a smaller scale. In 1990, it was given to just over 0.08% of girls, ranking below the top 200, dropping to over 0.04% by 2000 before rebounding a little bit in the 2010s up to now.

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Teru (てる)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Currently male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: te-ruu [té̞.ɾɯ̟̀ᵝ]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from the verb 照る (teru) meaning “to shine.” Other kanji in use for this name include, but are not limited to, 輝/耀 meaning “brightness, brilliance,” 光 meaning “light; ray, beam, glow,” 瑛 meaning “crystal” and 晴 meaning “clear, fine.”
These single kanji, along with kanji that can be read as te, e.g. 天 meaning “sky,” can be combined with a ru kanji, such as 琉/瑠, part of 琉璃/瑠璃 (ruri) meaning “lapis lazuli,” or 流 meaning “current, flow.”

Popularity:
By the late Edo period (1603-1868), Teru was a slightly common feminine name (mainly written phonetically) with an average percentage (based on Tsunoda and Collazo) close to 0.3% and within the bottom section of the top 100. It grew in usage in the Meiji period (1868-1912), ranking within the top 50 in the first half.
As with most feminine name of this type, it fell off in usage throughout the early 20th century, dropping out of the top 100 by the 1930s. Masculine usage at that time was uncommon, though with the decrease of feminine usage, the amount of male Terus would end up being the majority, even when overall usage would be uncommon up to now.
By 1990, less than 0.01% of boys received this name, slowly increasing to over 0.03% by the late 2010s (based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my 2014-20 names research). At that same time, feminine usage of this name amount to only several a year.

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

Sasuke (さすけ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: sah-ske [sà.sɨ̥́ᵝ.ké̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is most commonly written as 佐助, both kanji generally refers to assistance, help or support. Other kanji with this reference can also be used in the second element, such as 介, 輔, 丞, etc. As for the first element, any kanji with the reading sa can be used, such as:

  • 咲 meaning “blossom”
  • 沙 meaning “sand”
  • 桜 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom)”
  • 冴 meaning “clarity; skilfulness”
  • 瑳 meaning “polish, shine”
  • 作 meaning “work, production”
  • 彩 meaning “colouring”
  • 紗 meaning “gauze”
  • 颯 meaning “quick, sudden”
  • 三 meaning “three”

Popularity:
This name was most commonly used before the 20th century. Based on Edo period (1603-1868) villager data from Collazo and merchant data compiled by Issendai + passenger lists from before the Second World War, percentages range from just under 0.1% to just over 0.2%.
Regarding its usage from the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards, it was rarely used throughout the 1990s and 2000s, though it was used slightly more in the latter decade at more or less 0.005%. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, usage of this name had increased somewhat in the second half of the 2010s with an average percentage of more than 0.02%.

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.

Tsuyaka (つやか)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: tsu-yah-kah [tsɨ́ᵝ.jà.kà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is mainly used as a combination of 艶 (tsuya) meaning “gloss, lustre, shine” and a ka kanji, like 花/華 meaning “flower,” 香 meaning “fragrance,” 夏 meaning “summer” or 佳 meaning “beautiful, good.” 艶 is also (rarely) used on its own, likely a shortening of the adjective 艶やか (tsuyayaka) referring to something glossy. The first element can also be split into two kanji, a tsu kanji, such as 都 meaning “metropolis” or 月, shortened from tsuki meaning “moon,” and a ya kanji, e.g. 夜 meaning “night.”

Popularity:
Usage of this name is very rare and much of it is concentrated on those born in recent decades, maxing out at 0.001% at any given year since the Heisei period (1989-2019).

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