Sadako
About Sadako
Best known to the West through the story of Sadako and the thousand paper cranes, which tells the story of Sadako Sasaki, this name has become synonymous with peace.
Sadako was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She later developed radiation-related cancer. Whilst in hospital, Sadako heard a tale that whoever folds 1000 paper cranes would be granted a wish, and she set out to fold 1000 paper cranes. Sadako was only able to complete 644 cranes before her death but her friends completed the remaining cranes so that she could be buried with 1000 origami cranes.
Pronounced sah-DAH-koh.
As of October 2026, Sadako ranked #4923 in US births in 1940 SSA, peaked at #1693 in 1919.
Editor's take: The name Sadako is a girl's name meaning "Child of integrity".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
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Sadako on lists
Famous Sadakos
- Sadako Ogata
Japanese academic and UN official
- Sadako Sasaki
Japanese girl who died of radiation poisoning after Hiroshima and inspired the "1000 paper cranes" tale
- Sadako Kurihara
Japanese poet
Sadako in pop culture
- Sadako Yamamura
vindictive ghost of a murdered girl in the Japanese horror film Ringu
- When written as 貞子
the meaning is "chaste child" or "virtuous child"