to exceed

Yoshimasa (よしまさ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: yo-shee-mah-sah [jò̞.ɕí.mà.sà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The first element usually comes from the classical adjective 良し/善し/好し (yoshi, modern yoi/ii) meaning “good, excellent” (can also be written as 吉, 佳 or 宜), though it can also come from 由 (yoshi) meaning “reason, cause.” Other kanji related to the adjective include 義 meaning “morality, justice, honour,” 慶/喜/欣/悦 meaning “delight, pleasure,” 芳 meaning “fragrance, aroma” and 祥 meaning “blessedness, (good) omen.”
As for the second element, it is derived from either 正 (masa) meaning “exact, precise,” as a name also written as 将 (hence the usage of 政 meaning “rule” and 真/眞 meaning “pure, true”) or the verb 勝る/優る (masaru) meaning “to excel, surpass, exceed; to outweigh” (hence the usage of 昌 meaning “prosperous” and 雅 meaning “refinement, elegance”).

Popularity:
Before the Meiji period (1868-1912), this name was used as an adulthood name among the upper class with over 20 examples of its full or partial usage found in the Japanese Wikipedia dating as far back as the early Heian period (794-1185).
As far as post-Edo period (1603-1868) usage is concerned, it is uncommon among the overall population with percentages peaking above 0.2% at times, particularly in the first half of the Meiji period. By the 1990s, it dropped to below 0.05%, falling further to within the 0.01% range by the 2010s.

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Masayuki (まさゆき)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: mah-sah-yuu-kʸee [mà.sá.jɯ̟̀ᵝ.kʲì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The first element of this name is derived from either 正 (masa) meaning “exact, precise” or the stem of the verb 勝る/優る (masaru) meaning “to excel, surpass, exceed; to outweigh” while the second is mainly written as either 之/行 meaning “way, travel” or 幸 meaning “good luck, happiness.” Other kanji in use for the first element include:

  • 雅 meaning “refinement, elegance”
  • 昌 meaning “prosperous”
  • 政 meaning “rule”
  • 真/眞 meaning “pure, true”
  • 将, see 正
  • 晶 meaning “sparkle, crystal” (may be used for similarity to 昌)
  • 理 meaning “reason, logic”
  • 誠 meaning “truth, reality”

Popularity:
The name saw some usage as an adult name among the upper class before the Meiji period (1603-1868), counting over 25 examples from the Kamakura (1185–1333) to the Edo (1603-1868) periods on the Japanese Wikipedia, two of which also included on the English version (Hoshina and Sanada).
Heading into the latter half of the Meiji period, the name was already within the top 100 among the wider population. This would last well into the early 1990s with a general peak in popularity from the 1950s to the 1970s with percentages at 0.6% or over. By 2000, less than 0.1% of boys received this name and usage of Masayuki slowly fell over the years and decades. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, the average percentage for that time frame is calculated at only over 0.03%.

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