Boy Names Lists · Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
Japanese
"sincerity, truth"
Unisex Japanese name more often given to boys.
"praise"
Older Japanese name given new life in the anime series One Piece .
"screw"
Accessible and attractive name from the Naruto series. The meaning "screw" refers to a metal screw.
Word name
A shimmering day name, with a bit of hippie residue.
"assitant, help"
Sasuke Uchiha is a popular character from Naruto , a ninja rival of the titular character.
"lawful and just"
Popular Japanese name exemplified by the distinguished conductor Seiji Ozawa.
English word name
"joyful"
Many emotional, virtuous word names are coming back into style, but Happy feels unlikely to be revived. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to…
"light or radiance"
A unisex Japanese name with a beautiful and radiant meaning, it is notably borne by chess prodigy Hikaru Nakamura, and is a central character in the manga series The Summer Hikaru Died .
"generous"
Several artistic Hiroshis make this one of the more plausible Japanese imports.
"village; capital city; apricot; unite"
Also written as Kyō, this Japanese name makes a simple, sweet, yet spirited name for a son. Like many Japanese names, the meaning alters depending on which kanji are used, but Kyo can mean "unite,…
Japanese variation of l'Ollonais, French surname
"from Les Sables-d'Olonne"
Roronoa was created for the pirate-themed anime series One Piece . Roronoa is the Japanese pronunciation of l'Ollonais, the name of notable pirate Francois l'Ollonais. The historical pirate was born…
"white; chief; soul"
Notably used for characters in Spirited Away and Naruto .
"weasel"
The Japanese word for "weasel" was chosen as the name of Itachi Uchiha, a character in Naruto . In anime, name meanings often relate to a character's story. Weasels are bad luck in Japanese culture…
"scarecrow"
Japanese word for "scarecrow" that is used as a name in Howl's Moving Castle and Naruto .
"born in the summer"
Used for summer-born babies in Japan.
"coal + calm son; highly valued second son"
Protagonist of the manga and anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba . The kanji used to spell his name give it the meaning of "coal + calm son," which describe his former profession as a coal…
"demigod who I love; demigod who loves himself"
Gaara is a character in the Naruto universe given a one-of-a-kind name. The first two elements in his name mean "I love," while the final kanji is related to the Buddhist asuras , or demigods. The…
Japanese, various meanings
Masculine Japanese name and surname. The anime series My Hero Academia features a character named Katsuki Bakugo, whose given name is written in kanji that mean "to win" and "self."
"victory"
As well as meaning victory, the name Katsu is strongly associated with heroism and masculinity.
"aggressive"
With words like Rowdy and Breaker transforming into baby names, it's only a matter of time before Brawly makes the list as well.
