Japanese Names

A bright and cheerful Japanese name with a floral meaning, it appears in the series Genshin Impact and is borne by singer Ayaka Iida.

Ayaka

Popular name in Japan, wouldn't work too well outside that culture. 

Yoshi

There are many in Japan, but for most Americans there's only one Yoko.
 
Yoko Ono writes her name with characters meaning "ocean" and "child".

Yoko

Unfamiliar Asian choice that can work for a parent in search of something really different. 

Umeko

Tazu

A unisex Japanese name with several positive meanings, depending on which kanji are used, Hiromi blends the familiar Hiro with the popular -omi ending. The name notably appears in the manga series Jujutsu Kaisen.

Hiromi

Ichigo is a unisex — but primarily male — Japanese name. As a male name, it is typically written in kanji giving it the meaning "one guardian" (which can be interpreted to mean "best guardian"). As a female name, it references strawberries.
 
Ichigo Kurosaki is the protagonist of the anime series Bleach. He is redheaded, in reference to the "strawberry" meaning.

Ichigo

A relaxed and cool feeling Japanese name with a variety of meanings, depending on the kanji used. Appearing in the light novel series High School DxD and the anime series Haikyu!!, it is also borne by fashion designer Issey Miyake and guitarist Issei Noro. 
 
The first kanji symbol for the name typically remains the same and means "single, alone, one", but the second can vary, with meanings such as "star", "clear, bright", "sincere, honest", "expedition", and "power". Issey is also an alternative way of writing the name.

Issei

A Spanish spelling of the Japanese Hiromi. 

Jiromi

Japanese name with a special crossover/creative touch via its association with the colorful paintings of acclaimed Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo. 

Tamayo

A modern some sounding choice, Kanza is in fact a sparky Arabic and Japanese choice with a lovely meanings. 
 From its Arabic roots, it relates to treasure and wealth, adding value to the name; from Japanese, it has a variety of meaning including "blossom and warming sake", "generous place to stand in", "intuition of the left-hand side", or "a pause, an interval, a rest, to sit".
 
Also appearing as Kenza, it fits in well with multicultural choices like Farah, Dana, Mira, and Nina.

Kanza

Two similarly delicate names, Tamako and Tamaki, can be found in the Japanese community. 

Tamako

Japanese baby names are rarely used in the English-speaking world, as English names are rarely used in Japan. In other Asian countries, people often take on English names to ease pronunciation and spelling confusion when going to school or working internationally, but Japanese names are spelled and pronounced in a way that translates across tongues. 

Japanese names in the US Top 1000 for girls

 include Amaya, Kairi, Reina, Sara, and Tori. For boys, 

 include Asa, Kane, Kai, Raiden, and Ren. In Japan, popular names include Sakura, Yuna, Haruki, and Riku.



Not many Americans or British are able to speak Japanese, making for less fluid travel of names between cultures. Japanese baby names that work best in the West are those that are familiar via celebrities, pop culture, or similarity to more familiar Western names such as Hana, Kai, or Zen. 

There are many other lovely Japanese names for girls or boys worth browsing here is you’re looking for an unusual international name for your baby son or daughter.



Our full roster of Japanese baby names follows, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

Japanese Names for baby girls and baby boys, with meanings and popularity, including popular Japanese baby names and rare names with their origin in Japan country and culture. (Page 12)

Japanese Names (with Meanings & Popularity)