Anime Girl Names

Sweet Japanese choice.

A lilting Japanese name that may be familiar outside of Japan, owing to the manga and anime series Miyori no Mori or "Miyori's Forest". The meaning varies depending on what Kanji combination is used, but "beautiful generation", "sincere and trustworthy" and "peace of mind, heart, and spirit" are a few possibilities.

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.

Japanese classic with optimistic meaning.

Kaguya-hime no Monogatari, "The Tale of Princess Kaguya," is a Japanese folk story, also called "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." In the story, a bamboo cutter finds a baby girl from the moon nestled in a glowing bamboo stalk. Her name is Kaguya, meaning "shining."

Mikasa references Mount Mikasa, a mountain in Japan with three peaks, thought to look like bamboo hats. The Mikasa battleship was named after the mountain.

A multicultural unisex choice that peaked for girls at the same time as Amy. Ami is also the French word for "friend."

Kiyomi is a Japanese name that means 'sacred and beautiful' or 'clean and beautiful.' It refers to a variety of citrus fruit and is gaining popularity for baby girls in the U.S., with just under 200 girls receiving the name in 2022. Kiyomi combines a meaningful and elegant definition with a unique cultural reference, making it a distinctive choice for parents.

Historia originated as a Greek term and is the basis for the word "history" in many languages, including English and Spanish. It is used as a name for the character Historia Reiss in the anime series Attack on Titan.

A much more dynamic nickname than Nicky for any of the Nic-names. Part of a growing trend of boyish nicknames for girls - alongside Stevie and Lou - Nico has cheerful, snappy sounds, and a fresh, sassy image.

An aquatic Japanese choice that would work well cross-culturally. American parents are starting to pick up on this short and sweet international choice, with over 100 baby girls receiving this name per year.
/br> Fans of One Piece may recognize this name as the Straw Hat Pirates' navigator. In the US, NAMI is the acronym for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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

The name of a green-haired half-elf character in the manga and anime, Mushoku Tensei, Sylphiette is likely inspired by the mythological air spirits known as sylphs. Part Seraphina "Sephy" and part Sylvie, with a hint of Juliet, it is an intriguing choice that was chosen for 13 girls in 2024.

Common choice for anime characters.

Hanabi is the Japanese word for fireworks and is rarely given as a name to babies. The most famous Hanabi is Koko the Gorilla — "birth" name Hanabi-ko, or "fireworks child." Koko, known for her use of "Gorilla Sign Language," was born at the San Francisco Zoo on the 4th of July, hence the meaning of her name.

Long before the vogue of using Irish surnames for girls, writer Flannery O'Connor gave this one some visibility. It has a warm (flannelly) feel and the currently popular three-syllable ee-ending sound.

Very popular girls' name in Japan not quite as easy to transport westward as the also-popular Rin.

Dainty and doll-like.

Kinoko Komori is a character in the anime series My Hero Academia. Appropriately, one of her primary interests is mushrooms.

A very popular girls' name in Japan with an unfortunate English pronunciation: picture a toddler with a hurt knee saying "owee."