Anime Names
Updated Sat Sep 14 2024
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Anime names are fast becoming one of the biggest naming influences in the pop culture sphere. Anime baby names including Jiraiya and Himawari — both of Naruto fame — are making their debuts on the American charts, and in some cases rising into the Top 1000.
Along with Jiraiya, other anime names in the US Top 1000 include Artemis, Ash, Kenji, Luna, and Raiden. Rising anime names to watch include Nami, Seiji, Kaisen, and Kiyomi.
Anime is the Japanese art of animation, so naturally, most anime names originated in Japan. A prevalent theme in anime is to give characters names with meanings that relate to their story arc or personality traits. This can be achieved with traditional Japanese names or the creation of a new name. Kinoko, the Japanese word for "mushroom" (not a Japanese baby name!) was used as a name for a fungi-loving character in the series My Hero Academia.
Common Japanese names including Ayako and Takashi are also featured regularly in anime. Here, our entire collection of anime names, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Iris
Origin:
Flower name; GreekMeaning:
"rainbow"Description:
Iris has so much going for it. It's a fashionable flower name. It's a mythological name, from the Greek goddess of the rainbow. And it's a classic name, always ranking in the girls' Top 1000 but now at its highest point ever.
- Luna
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"moon"Description:
The name of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna is derived straight from the Latin word for moon, luna. Luna may be the name most likely to surprise someone from an older generation by its Top 10 status in the US and its widespread international popularity.
- Ethan
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"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.
- Levi
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"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.
- Faye
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"fairy"Description:
Soft and simple, but no less magical, Faye is enjoying a quiet spell of popularity in the US. It broke the Top 1000 in 2014, and by 2023, was one of the fastest rising names on the charts. Faye is a perfect example of a name that fits in and stands out, recognizable and yet unexpected. It also makes a beautiful middle name option, if Mae and Rae are feeling too overdone.
- Diana
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"divine"Description:
Diana, the tragic British princess, inspired many fashions, but strangely, not one for her name. For us, Diana is a gorgeous and still-underused choice.
- Amara
Origin:
Igbo, Sanskrit, ArabicMeaning:
"grace, immortal, tribe"Description:
Strong, attractive, and stylish, Amara is a true multicultural choice enjoying some popularity in both the US and the UK. In the US Top 1000 since the turn of this century, Amara has been holding steady in the rankings between overly popular and obscure.
- Rumi
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"beauty, flow, lapis lazuli"Description:
Rumi is a Japanese girl name, with a sweet yet substantial sound. Reminiscent of other popular choices in the West — think Ruby, Remy, and Romy — it is currently achieving more notice thanks to Beyonce and Jay-Z, who chose it for one of their daughters.
- Anya
Origin:
Russian diminutive of AnnaMeaning:
"grace"Description:
Anya is a Russian variation of Anna, which came from the Hebrew name Hannah. Anya is the form found most frequently in Russia, Poland, and other East European countries, while Anja is the spelling usually preferred in Germany Norway, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and The Netherlands. In the Hungarian language, Anya also means mother.
- Annie
Origin:
English, diminutive of AnnMeaning:
"grace"Description:
Annie is one of the most open and optimistic, the-sun'll-come-out-tomorrow type of name, having been celebrated over the years in song (Annie Laurie), comic strip (Little Orphan Annie), folklore (Annie Oakley, born Phoebe), and film (Annie Hall). It strikes a nice old-fashioned-but-jaunty chord that still has appeal, but we do suggest that you consider putting a more formal version on her birth certificate.
- Cassandra
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"shining or excelling man"Description:
The name of the tragic mythological Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but was condemned never to be believed, Cassandra has been used for striking characters in movies and soap operas. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity.
- Mina
Origin:
Hindu equivalent of Pisces or diminutive of Wilhelmina, GermanMeaning:
"resolute protection"Description:
Most famous as a Dracula victim (where Mina is short for Wilhelmina), Mina is a name that can stand on its own or be a diminutive of any name ending in -mina, most usually Wilhelmina.
- Paul
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"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.
- Serena
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"tranquil, serene"Description:
Serena, a name used since Roman times, was given fresh life by tennis star Williams, and then again with the leading character on Gossip Girl, Serena van der Woodsen. There have also been Serenas on soap operas and other shows from Bewitched to Law & Order.
- Bellamy
Origin:
English and Irish from FrenchMeaning:
"fine friend"Description:
Bellamy is a surname name with an admirable meaning and upbeat rhythm, similar to jovial choices like Rafferty, Barnaby and Willoughby.
- Kira
Origin:
Russian feminine variation of CyrusMeaning:
"throne"Description:
Though such cognates of Kira as Keira, Kyra, and Ciara are increasingly popular throughout Europe and in the U.S., this Cyrus relative has a different root. As with all the many variations of this appealing name, there is often confusion around spelling and pronunciation -- does the first syllable rhyme with ear or eye?
- 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.
- Marina
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"from the sea"Description:
This pretty sea-born name was used to dramatic effect by Shakespeare in his play Pericles for the virtuous princess who says she is "Call'd Marina, for I was born at sea."
- Karen
Origin:
Danish variation of Katherine, JapaneseMeaning:
"pure; lotus flower"Description:
Karen, a once sweet Danish import, was so popular during the baby boom (Karen was Number 3 in 1960) that it's become a mem in recent years, representing a hostile white woman—one who usually wants to speak with the manager.
- Aya
Origin:
Japanese, Hebrew, Danish, ArabicMeaning:
"colorful, design; honey buzzard, bird; rock, lull, happiness; sign, verse"Description:
Aya, barely more than a breath, is an international favorite, with origins in several languages and cultures. Popular throughout Europe, it ranks in the US Top 1000 and was chosen for nearly 470 babies in a recent year.
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