Aiko is a very common Japanese name with a lovely meaning that is rarely heard outside the Asian community.

Aiko

Despite being etymologically unrelated, Aimi has a similar meaning to the name Amy, "beloved."

Aimi

A bright-sounding name with multicultural appeal, used regularly as a first name in Japan, Scandinavia, Latvia, and Spain.
 
The Yoruba name Aina, pronounced ah-ee-NAH, is traditionally used for baby girls born with the umbilical cord around their neck.

Aina

Airi

A popular choice right now in Japan, where it recently ranked in the Top 10.

Akane

Akari is a gender-neutral Japanese name used fairly evenly between the sexes in the US.

Akari

Aki is a simple international name from two wildly divergent cultures.

This popular Japanese name has many various meanings (bright, clear, autumn), depending on the combination of kanji used to spell it. The final element is the character ko, meaning "child", which features in many Japanese <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">feminine names</a>. Akiko is one of the best unique <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/351/names-for-autumn-babies">names for autumn babies</a>.

Akiko

A popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games.

Akira

Amane

The Spanish form of Amaya is both a given name and a surname, originating from the Spanish mountain and village of Amaya. In this context it means "mother city" or "the capital." Amaya can also be considered a derivation of Amaia, a Basque name meaning "the end." In Japan, Amaya is a surname.
 
Actors Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann are the parents of a young daughter named Amaya Josephine.

Amaya

If you're planning to have a younger one. 

Aneko

A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.


Anzu

This form of Irina supersedes the original in its native country.

Arina

Asahi

Atsuko

Aya, barely more than a breath, is an international favorite, with origins in several languages and cultures. Popular throughout Europe, It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2012.
 In the entertainment industry, Aya has two international bearers: Aya Korem, an Israeli singer-songwriter, and Aya Liu, a Taiwanese actress. And actress Hilary Swank named her twin daughter Aya (and her son Ohm).
 
Aya is also a Danish name (a creative spelling of Aja) and is a highly popular choice there.
 In Arabic, Aya meaning "sign, evidence" or "verse" and is a popular name in the Muslim community.

Ayame

Ayane

A common Indonesian name that is sometimes (as with Mary here) joined with another, as in 'Ayu' and 'Tyas,' which becomes 'Ayuningtyas' and means beautiful heart.

Ayuka

Ayumi

Azami has a prickly image and feel — reinforced by the thistle's image in Eastern mythology as one of defiance. A name that spans two widely divergent cultures, Azami might make the perfect international choice, at once unusual and easy to comprehend.

Azami

Aika

Akiyo

Amaterasu

Ayaka

Ayako

Chie

Chika

The childhood name of the heroine of Memoirs of a Geisha is pretty and accessible. Chiyiko is a pet form.

Chiyo

Chiko

Chitose

Chizu

Chou

Chouko

As an English nickname, Emi can be short for anything beginning with (or containing) the popular "em" sound, such as Emily, Emilia, or maybe even Clementine.

 As a Japanese name, it can be formed of various different combinations of kanji characters, with different meanings.

A fresh and pretty Japanese name which would be an unusual route to the popular Emmy/Emi nickname. In Japanese, this name can be formed from a variety of different kanji combinations with different meanings, but "laughing child" and "beautiful child" are two appealing possibilities.

Emiko

Etsuko

Eiko

Eiri

Fumiko

Fuyuhi

Fuyuko

Ginko

Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US. It also means "craft, work" in Hawaiian and "glow" in Maori.

Hana

Hanako has a delicate sound and quaint meaning -- but there's a catch. According to widespread urban legend in Japan, Hanako is the name of the ghost of a little girl who haunts school bathrooms, who sometimes answers if you call her name. The so-called "Hanako of the Toilet" has been the subject of countless fictional adaptations since the rumor started to circulate in the 1950s. Hanako was once such a common name that it was used in the Japanese equivalent of "Jane Doe," but it's gotten much less popular as the legend of Hanako-san has spread.

Hanako

A springtime baby name appropriate for either sex.

Haru

Haruhi

An extremely common Japanese name, especially among women.

Haruka

A traditional possibility for a Japanese or Japanese-American child born in April or May. 

Haruko

This Japanese name for girls is unrelated to several similar names, such as Harun and Aroon, which in turn are unrelated to each other. Some sources give the meaning as "spring flower" or "clear weather".

Haruna

Light, bright unisex name. Hikari is more popular for girls in Japan these days.

Hikari

Hikaru

Himawari is the Japanese word for sunflower and modern word name. The most famous bearer is Himawari Akaho, a silver-medal-winning basketball player from Japan. Himawari is more frequently used as a character name, as in Himawari Uzumaki from Naruto and the anime series Himawari!

Himawari

Hina

Hinata is a unisex Japanese name and surname but is primarily seen as a given name among women. It has many possible meanings, most of which have something to do with the sun.

Hinata

Hiroko

Hibiki

Hideko

Himiko

Hiromi

Hisako

Hisame

Hisoka

Hokuto

Honoka

Seen as both a given name and a surname in Japan. There was a Princess Izumi in eighth-century Japan, forbidden from marriage as her older sisters had already been paired off with the Emperor's sons. 

Izumi

Ichika

Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, and the first to reach the summits of the tallest peaks on all seven continents.

Junko

No - not a creative spelling of Katy. This name, which can be used for boys or girls, means maple tree. Kaede is unusual in Japan although it has been gaining more popularity after it has been used for several anime and manga characters. 

Kaede

Kanako was most common in Japan during the late '70s and early '80s, but it sounds fresh to American ears.

Kanako

Kaori is a Japanese girls' name once largely unknown but brought into the spotlight by celebrity couple Eniko and Kevin Hart, who gave it to their daughter in 2020. Kaori is easily translated in the Western World; it's got a rhythmic sound and a familiar feel, maybe since it's similar to Maori, the name of the people and language of New Zealand. But the correct pronunciation is kow-ree.

Kaori

Japanese classic with optimistic meaning. 

Keiko

The name of a Japanese citrus fruit that is rising among baby girls in the US. The name Kiyomi was given to just under 200 baby girls in 2022.

Kiyomi

A funkier version of Coco that may be more appealing if you have Japanese or Native American heritage. Koko comes from the Blackfoot tribe, native to what is now Montana and Alberta, Canada.

Koko

One of the most familiar and attractive Japanese names, though rarely heard outside that culture. 

Kyoko

Kaguya

Kaoru

Katsu

Katsuko

Kiku

Kirie

Kirika

Kiyo

Koiko

Kotomi

Kumiko

Kyoka

Madoka

Mae, a sweet and springlike old-fashioned name, hadn't been on the national charts in forty years, but finally made it back in 2010. Mae is derived from May, the month name that was chosen for its connection to Maia, the Roman goddess of growth and motherhood. 
 
Mae can be used as a nickname for the names Mary and Margaret — actress Mae West was born Mary. Alternate spellings include May, Mei, and Maye. The May spelling makes it more of a month name, while Mae makes it an antique nickname name. Both can stand on their own, as seen by Hilary Duff's choice of Mae as her daughter's first name.
 Mae along with twin sister May is now one of the prettiest and most popular middle name options for girls (Eric Clapton has an Ella Mae, Greg Kinnear an Audrey Mae, Ian Ziering a Penna Mae). 
 
A Top 100 name through 1920, Mae was big in early film history — there were leading actresses named Mae Clarke, Mae Marsh, Mae Busch, and Mae Murray. Towering over them (figuratively) was Mae West, who changed the name from sweet to sophisticated. Madonna also played a character called Mae in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own.
 
Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman to travel in space. Mae Whitman is a rising young actress seen recently on Parenthood and Arrested Development.
 
It may be worth noting that Mãe is the Portuguese word for mother, so if you've got Brazilian or Portuguese relatives, it's probably best to stick to May or Mei.

Popular name in Japan in its own right, but also as a nickname for Miyako or Makiko.

Maki

For those who like names with lots of nickname possibilities, Makiko offers three sweet ones: Maki, Kiko, and Kiki.

Makiko

Makoto is a unisex name in Japan, although many more men bear the name.

Makoto

As a highly popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> in all Spanish-speaking countries, this saintly Latin variation of Mary retains a timeless beauty. Through the centuries, Maria remains one of the most widely-used <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/m">girl names starting with M</a>.
 This widespread name understandably has produced notable namesakes in almost every field – opera's Maria Callas (born Sophia Cecelia), tennis's Sharapova, education's Montessori, ad infinitum. And she's been celebrated in song as well, from Ave Maria to the eponymous song in West Side Story to "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" in The Sound of Music. 
While the usual English pronunciation these days is the same as it is in non-English-speaking countries – mah-REE-ah – the British used to pronounce it mah-RYE-ah, like Mariah Carey.

 Maria ultimately dervies from the Hebrew name Maryam/Mariam. The original meaning of Maryam is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Maria

Common Japanese name with a pleasant meaning, no matter how you write it.

Mayu

snarryvader81's list "Female Japanese Names" of 252 great name ideas: Ai - Yuuri!

Female Japanese Names

There seems to be a lack of Japanese names on this site, and given how lovely they are, I thought I'd make a list. Most Japanese names don't have a set meaning, as it's determined by what kanji are used to form the name. However, the "ko" (子) suffix always means "child".