summer

Sumika (すみか)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: suu-mʸee-kah [sɨ́ᵝ.mʲì.kà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The first element of this name is derived from 澄 (sumi) meaning “lucidity, transparency” with other related kanji including 純 meaning “innocent, chaste” and 済 meaning “completion, finish” (the verb 済む (sumu) is cognate to 澄む). 住, meaning “residence, dwelling” and derived from a different verb 住む, is rarely used here.
The first element can also be split into two-kanji, a su kanji like 寿/壽 meaning “congratulations; longevity,” 須 and 素 meaning “plain” and a mi kanji, such as 美 meaning “beauty,” 実 meaning “seed; fruit,” 未, referring to the sign of the Sheep or part of the word 未来 (mirai) meaning “future” and 心 meaning “heart, mind.” As for the second element, any kanji with the reading ka can be used:

  • 香/郁 meaning “fragrance”
  • 華/花 meaning “flower”
  • 佳 meaning “beautiful, good”
  • 夏 meaning “summer”
  • 加 meaning “addition”
  • 果 meaning “fruit”
  • 可 meaning “acceptable, fair”
  • 歌 meaning “song”
  • 伽 meaning “nursing, attending, entertaining”
  • 和 meaning “harmony, peace; sum”
  • 海 meaning “sea, ocean”
  • 圭 meaning “angle, edge”
  • 風 meaning “wind”
  • 霞 meaning “mist”
  • 嘉 meaning “praise, esteem”
  • 樺 meaning “birch”
  • 茄, part of 茄子 (nasu) meaning “eggplant/aubergine”
  • 楓 meaning “maple”
  • 日 meaning “day; sun”
  • 雅 meaning “elegance, grace”

Popularity:
Much of its uncommon usage is concentrated on those born within the last several decades. By 1989, over 0.02% of girls received this name, peaking later in 1992 at over 0.07%, largely driven by forms of this name that begin with 純. From then on until the mid-2000s, usage levels had gone down and up within the 0.04% to 0.06% range before falling back to over 0.02% by the late 2000s. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-21 names research, the average percentage from 2017-21 is over 0.03%.

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

Kayo (かよ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: kah-yo [ká.jò̞]

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

ka (か) yo (よ)
佳 “beautiful, good” 代/世 “generation”
香/郁/馨 “fragrance” 与/與 “gift, award”
華/花 “flower” 余 “remainder, remnant”
加 “addition” 誉 “honour”
賀 “congratulation” 葉 “leaf”
夏 “summer” 陽 “day; sun”
果 “fruit” 依 “reliance, dependence”
圭 “angle, edge” 良 “good, excellent”
嘉 “praise, esteem”
歌 “song”

Popularity:
By the latter part of the Edo period (1603-1868) when female usage were usually written in a phonetic script, usage of this name was uncommon with the average percentage (adding data from Tsunoda and Collazo) at over 0.18%. Usage levels would largely stabilise until the 1910s when it began falling down a bit in usage to less than 0.1% by the 1930s.
By the 1950s, it would rise back up above 0.1% and occasionally enter and drop out of the top 100 during the 1950s and 1960s. Rising in usage from the late 1960s, it would peak in usage in the 1970s with percentages above 0.5% and top out above 50th place before falling out of the top 100 again by the late 1980s.
Since then, usage of this name gradually declined to the point that by 2009, it already fell below 0.05%. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data and my 2014-21 names research, usage levels in that time frame only peaked within the 0.02% range.

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

Sonoka (そのか)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

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.

Serina (せりな)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: se-rʸee-nah [sé̞.ɾʲì.nà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
A couple of the most popular forms of this name use 芹 (seri) as the first element, referring to a plant known by various names like the Java water dropwort, water celery and Japanese (flat leaf) parsley. It can also be split into two kanji, most of which can be seen, along with na kanji, in the table below:

se (せ) ri (り) na (な)
瀬 “shallows, rapids” 里 “village” 奈 phonetic kanji
世 “generation” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 菜 “greens”
聖 “sacred, holy” 梨 “pear” 那 phonetic kanji
星 “star” 利 “advantage, benefit” 南 “south”
静 “quiet, calm” 理 “reason, logic” 名 “name”
清 “clean, pure, chaste” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli” 夏 “summer”
成 “growth, reach, attainment” 李 “Japanese/Chinese plum” 渚 “beach, shore”
勢 “force, vigour, energy” 吏 “officer” 凪 “calm, lull”
青 “blue” 凛/凜 “cold; dignified” 七 “seven”
晴 “clear, fine” 琳 “jewel” 愛 “beloved”
晟 “clear” 倫 “ethics” 波 “wave”
惺 “realise”

This name may be influenced by foreign names like Celina/Selina and Serena.

Popularity:
Similar to Sonoka, this name started rising in usage in the 1980s. By the start of the Heisei period (1989-2019), it was given to 0.025% of baby girls. When 芹 was selected as a jinmeiyō kanji in March 1990, usage levels continued to rise a bit further, to just over 0.05% in 1992. However, there was a jump in usage in 1993 to over 0.075%, peaking at close to 0.1% in 1997.
Since the peak, usage levels made a general gradual decline with a few occassions of little jumps. By 2009, just under 0.04% of girls received this name, stabilising throughout the 2010s onward.

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

Chikage (ちかげ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: chkah–ge [tɕì̥.ká.ɡé̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is most commonly written as 千景, individually meaning “thousand” and “shadow, figure; reflection” (also written as 影). The first kanji can be substituted with 智/知 meaning “wisdom.”
On rare occasions, it can also be written with a chika+ge combination. For the first element, kanji which have the nanori reading chika include 愛 meaning “love” and 和 meaning “harmony, peace.” As for the second element, any kanji with the reading ge can be used, such as 夏 meaning “summer” and 芽 meaning “bud, sprout.”

Popularity:
This name was rarely used before the 1950s and 1960s. By the time it began rising, there were two actresses, first Awashima and then Oogi, who made screen debuts in the first half of the 1950s (and both happened to be members of the Takarazuka Revue at some point of their career).
Percentages for Chikage as a feminine name throughout the 1960s and 1970s were between 0.03% and 0.05% before declining to 0.01% or below by the 1990s and 2000s. At that same time, usage as a masculine usage began to increase, albeit in a snailish pace. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, the gender split had narrowed significantly (as is the case with such names as Chiaki and Chihiro) with average percentages around or near 0.02% for both genders.

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

Kaera (かえら)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: kah-e-rah [ká.è̞.ɾà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
At the moment, the most popular forms of this name contain 楓/椛, shortened from kaede which refers to a maple tree, combined with a ra kanji, like 來/徠/来 meaning “arrival,” 蘭 meaning “orchid” or 良 meaning “good.” The first element can also be split into two kanji, a ka kanji like 夏 meaning “summer”, 華/花 meaning “flower” or 香 meaning “fragrance,” and an e kanji, such as 笑/咲 meaning “smile,” 瑛 meaning “crystal” or 絵 meaning “picture, drawing.”

Popularity:
Popularised by pop rock singer, lyricist, fashion model and television presenter Kimura Kaela from 2004, the name first peaked at over 0.004% in 2007, when the name was mainly written in hiragana and katakana. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, the average percentage from 2017-2020 is well over 0.01%.

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

Kayano (かやの)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: kah-yah-no [ká.jà.nò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
At first glance, it may look like a combination of 茅 (kaya), a general term for grass or sedge that is used for thatching, and a no kanji, like 乃, referring to the possessive particle, or 野 meaning “field.” While that is used, it is more common, especially today, for the first element to be split into two kanji, as shown in the table below:

ka (か) ya (や)
佳 “beautiful, good” 也 phonetic kanji*
華/花 “flower” 弥 “increase”
香 “fragrance” 耶 phonetic kanji
夏 “summer” 矢 “arrow”
禾 “grain, cereal” 椰 “(coconut) palm”
加 “addition”

* can refer to archaic auxiliary verb なり (nari) meaning “to be”

Popularity:
In use since the late Edo period (1603-1868), it has always been somewhat of an uncommon name, not getting above 0.02% throughout the 20th century. Regarding its usage from the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards, it was only given to over 0.002% of girls in 1990, slowly rising in the first half of the decade before rising to just under 0.010% by 1996.
From its peak of over 0.01% in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the name fell down a bit to around 0.007% by 2007. In recent years, it has been increasing in usage again, in tandem with the general increase in usage of the name Kaya. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, in 2020, the name was given to well over 0.02% of baby girls.

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

Tsuyaka (つやか)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

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.

Runa (るな)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: ruu-nah [ɾɯ̟́ᵝ.nà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is an adaptation of Latin lūna, which refers to the Moon (and, figuratively, a month or a night), exemplified by the appearance of the kanji 月 (normally read as tsuki) in two-kanji combinations and, occasionally, on its own. More commonly, however, it is written with a ru kanji, like 瑠/琉, part of 瑠璃/琉璃 (ruri) meaning “lapis lazuli,” 留 meaning “stop” or 流 meaning “current, flow,” with a kanji that can be (partially) read as na, such as:

  • 奈, a phonetic kanji
  • 菜 meaning “greens”
  • 那, a phonetic kanji
  • 南 meaning “south”
  • 夏 meaning “summer”
  • 愛 meaning “beloved”
  • 渚 meaning “beach, shore”
  • 七 meaning “seven”
  • 名 meaning “name”
  • 凪 meaning “calm, lull”
  • 捺, a phonetic kanji
  • 花/華 meaning “flower”
  • 絆 meaning “bonds, relationship; tether”
  • 梛, referring to the Asian bayberry
  • 梨 meaning “pear”
  • 叶 meaning “grant, answer”
  • 奏 meaning “playing music”

There are a few other examples out there which pertain to the inclusion of kanji for the sake of image, such as 月姫, 月星, 美月 with the added kanji meaning “princess,” “star” and “beauty” respectively.

Popularity:
For the next couple of decades after the Second World War, Runa snailishly increased in usage from being an extreme rarity to just under 0.03% by the start of the Heisei period (1989-2019). From 1992, its increase began to steepen which led to the name entering the top 100 by 1997 and already ranking within the top 50 by the new millennium.
For the next decade and some portion of the early 2010s, the name maintained its relevance in the top 50 list with percentages not dropping below 0.45%, though not breaking the top 20 either. Since the mid-2010s, it has lost a little bit of its lustre. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-20 names research however, it is still ranking at the bottom half of the top 100 with average percentages above the 0.3% range, though with percentages occasionally dropping below it.

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

Naru (なる)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Generally unisex
Pronunciation: nah-ruu [ná.ɾɯ̟̀ᵝ]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from the verb 成/為る (naru) meaning “to become, grow, reach, attain” with other related kanji in use include 徳 meaning “virtue” and 愛 meaning “love, affection.” Occasional usage of the single kanji 波, meaning “wave,” is influenced by the Hawaiian word nalu.
These single kanji can also be used in a 2-kanji combination, combining a na kanji like 菜 meaning “greens,” 那, 奈, 夏 meaning “summer,” 南 meaning “south” or 凪 meaning “calm, lull,” with a ru kanji, mostly 瑠/琉, part of 瑠璃/琉璃 (ruri) meaning “lapis lazuli.”

Popularity:
There had been a little bit of usage of the name Nari for females born from the Nara period (710-794) through to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) as enlisted by Tsunoda but none for Naru and the one Naru example found there was born in the late Edo period (1603-1868). There was a bit of feminine usage in the early 20th century but dropped off by the Shōwa period (1926-1989) as per the norm.
By the mid-20th century, masculine usage began to pick up a little bit, though still a rarity. By 1990, less than 0.005% of boys and around 0.001% of girls received this name, slowly and gradually rising to over 0.02% for boys and over 0.015% for girls by 2009. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, all-gender percentage levels rose to over 0.06% with more baby boys receiving this name than baby girls.

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