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Anime Boy Names

Sophie Kihm
By Sophie Kihm
Updated Thu Feb 01 2024
Anime Boy Names

Anime boy names are one of the hottest new genres of baby names today. Jiraiya, a thunderous name from Naruto, was among the fastest-rising names of the year and broke into the Top 1000 in 2021. Other anime names for boys are hot on its heels.

Jiraiya is one of the few Japanese boy names from anime to rank in the US Top 1000. Other anime boy names on the American popularity charts include Ash, Ethan, Zeke, Raiden, and Kenji. We expect anime boy names with Japanese origins, such as Seiji, Kaisen, Koji, and Neji to continue to rise.

Many anime boy names are unique — even one-of-a-kind — as they've been created with a specific character in mind. These names often have significant meanings associated with the character's story arc or personality traits. Zetsu, meaning "tongue," is a Naruto character with the head of a venus fly trap.

Here is our full list of anime names for boys, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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Anime Names

Japanese Names

Boy Names

  1. Levi

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "joined, attached"

    • Description:

      Levi, lighter and more energetic than most biblical names, with its up vowel ending, combines Old Testament gravitas with the casual flair associated with Levi Strauss jeans.
  2. Ethan

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "strong, firm"

    • Description:

      Ethan is a name that succeeds in being at once classic and fashionable, serious and cheery, strong and sensitive. Given a big boost via the name of the Tom Cruise character in the Mission Impossible film series, Ethan has fallen from its peak at Number 2 in 2009 and 2010, but is still popular in the US along with several other countries.
  3. Bellamy

    • Origin:

      English and Irish from French

    • Meaning:

      "fine friend"

    • Description:

      Bellamy is a surname name with an admirable meaning and upbeat rhythm, similar to jovial choices like Rafferty, Barnaby and Willoughby.
  4. Paul

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "small"

    • Description:

      Paul is an ancient name for boys -- popular in Roman and medieval times -- that's not very fashionable now, which can work in its favor, scarcity balancing simplicity.
  5. Samson

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "sun"

    • Description:

      With the prevailing popularity of Samuel, some parents are considering this more (literally) powerful biblical name, which shares the desirable nickname of Sam.
  6. Zeke

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Ezekiel

    • Meaning:

      "God strengthens"

    • Description:

      Zeke is a casual form of the name Ezekiel, an important prophet from the Old Testament. How well Zeke holds up depends on the boy: it could be a cooler alternative of Zack, or it could prove too close to "geek." Both Zeke and Ezekiel lag behind in popularity on the UK charts.
  7. Ash

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Asher, English

    • Meaning:

      "ash tree"

    • Description:

      Ash has Southern charm plus the arboreal-nature appeal. Plus your little boy will prize Ash as the name of the hero of the Pokemon cartoons. Ash can also be a dashing short form of Asher, Ashton, or any other "Ash" name.
  8. Brock

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "badger"

    • Description:

      Brock is a rock solid name, with a touch of preppy sophistication. It ranked solidly in the 200s-300s from 1975 until 2014, but has since tumbled a bit.
  9. Raiden

    • Origin:

      Japanese, English invented name

    • Description:

      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 pronounce it RAY-den, but it's more properly RYE-den.
  10. Lance

    • Origin:

      English word name or English variation of Lanzo, German "long, pointed, medieval weapon; land"

    • Meaning:

      "long, pointed, medieval weapon; land"

    • Description:

      Though the fuller Lancelot has for the most part been shunned as a 'too-much-name' name, the short form Lance has been consistently in or around the Top 500 since 1938, climbing as high as Number 76 in 1970. It was used as a character name by Walter Scott as far back as 1823. Lance is also the name of a medieval weapon, making this name all boy.
  11. Brendan

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "prince"

    • Description:

      According to Irish legend, Saint Brendan the Voyager was the first European to touch American soil, and his name has been established here for decades, peaking in the late 1990s.
  12. Kenji

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "second son; healthy + second; wise + second; modest second"

    • Description:

      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 López-Alt, know simply as Kenji. It appeared in the latter end of the US Top 1000 in 2023.
  13. Oak

    • Origin:

      English tree name

    • Meaning:

      "tree from the genus Quercus"

    • Description:

      Oak, a symbol of solidity, strength, and longevity, is joining Cedar and Pine as a viable name, one that would work especially well in the middle.
  14. Shoto

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "burn and freeze"

    • Description:

      If you encounter this name in the real world, it may be written using kanji that mean "bright person," "happy person," "blessed person," or other related meanings. However, in the anime series My Hero Academia, character Shoto Todoroki's name is written in kanji that mean "burn" and "freeze," referencing his powers.
  15. Akuma

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "devil, demon"

    • Description:

      Nice baby name with a devilish meaning.
  16. Titan

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "defender"

    • Description:

      This name comes from Greek mythology, where the Titans were a band of immortal, powerful giants.
  17. Brook

    • Origin:

      English nature name

    • Meaning:

      "small stream"

    • Description:

      Now that the popularity of Brooke is waning, and surname style variant Brooks is on the rise, Brook seems live a newly fresh nature-inspired option.
  18. Miguel

    • Origin:

      Spanish and Portuguese variation of Michael, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "Who is like God"

    • Description:

      Mike Tyson put a twist on his own name by naming a son Miguel. It's the first name of Cervantes, the great Spanish novelist and poet who wrote Don Quixote.
  19. Astro

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "star"

    • Description:

      More common as a dog name than a baby name for now, but that hasn't stopped Milo and Rex rising back up the charts! Lovers of edgy o-ending names like Otto, Arlo and Cosmo might like this starry-eyed possibility.
  20. Erwin

    • Origin:

      German

    • Meaning:

      "respected friend"

    • Description:

      One of the many names with a strong "er" sound, like Bertram and Ernest, that was huge in the 1920s and is languishing in style limbo now. One famous bearer is the physicist Erwin Schrödinger, as in Schrödinger's cat.