Japanese Boy Names
Across 4 pages
of 4
About this list
Japanese boy names have a great energy to them, thanks to those bright, bold, bouncy vowel endings. The appetite in the West for all things Japanese has exploded in recent years, and that’s just starting to extend to stylish Japanese baby names, too.
The Japanese names for boys that chart in the US tend to be those with cultural crossover, like Asa and Kane, which also have Hebrew and Celtic roots, respectively.
Along with Asa and Kane, other popular Japanese boy names include Kai, Raiden, Ren, and Koda. Baby boy names popular in Japan include Haruki — known to Americans as the first name of author Murakami — Riku, Toma, and Haruto.
Japanese baby names for boys also include several super-cool K options which feel bang on-trend in the US right now — we’re loving Kazuo, Kenzo, Koda and Kenji as exotic alternatives to the Kayden family of names.
Find more fantastic Japanese boy names in our full tally, below, ranked according to their current popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
The names
Koda
Japanese, Sioux
"friend"
A word in the Yankton-Yanktonai and Santee dialects of the Lakota Sioux language, meaning "friend" or "ally", used for one of the main characters in the movie Brother Bear . Also a common Japanese…
Raiden
Japanese, English invented name
The name of the Japanese god of thunder makes an assertive choice, very much at home in the Western world. Because of the name's similarity to popular baby names Aiden and Jayden, most people will…
Kane
Celtic
"warrior"
A name of multiple identities: a somewhat soap-operatic single-syllable surname, a homonym for the biblical bad boy Cain, and, when found in Japan and Hawaii, it transforms into the two syllable…
Asa
Hebrew; Japanese
"healer; born in the morning"
A short but strong biblical name with multicultural appeal, Asa is enjoying new visibility thanks to hot young actor Asa Butterfield of Hugo fame. Asa was the name of an important biblical king of…
Kenzo
Japanese
"strong and healthy"
Kenzo is a common Japanese name with several creative bearers: the single-named fashion designer, prizewinning architect Kenzo Takada, and painter Kenzo Okada, which makes it internationally…
Kenji
Japanese
"second son; healthy + second; wise + second; modest second"
A international feeling name of Japanese origin that could be used to refer to a child's place in the family, Kenji has attracted notice in the US as the name of The Food Lab chef, James Kenji…
Fuji
Japanese
"dweller near the river where wisteria grows"
To honor the majestic mountain.
Akira
Japanese
"bright, intelligent"
Akira is a popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games. Akiro is a related name popular for boys.
Hiroshi
Japanese
"generous"
Several artistic Hiroshis make this one of the more plausible Japanese imports.
Botan
Japanese
"peony"
One Japanese name that feels Western, though not quite American.