Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 14 pages
of 14
Japanese
"genuine; careful"
Common Japanese name most notably connected to Shigeo Shingō, Japanese industrial engineer and expert on the Toyota Production System.
"bamboo"
This Japanese name is more often seen on girls in Japan, yet you may be familiar with it as a male name thanks to the anime series Naruto .
"endurance, patience; belief"
A unisex name in Japan, more common for girls.
"quiet summer fragrance"
Common Japanese name with a bright floral meaning.
"burn and freeze"
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…
"violet flower"
The Japanese equivalent of Violet, common among Millennial and Gen Z Japanese women.
"noble; prosperous; venerable"
Common Japanese name associated with contemporary artist Takashi Murakami.
Japanese, meaning unknown
Associated with a villainous character in the Naruto franchise.
"heaven; little by little; dot"
Tenten is not a given Japanese name, but it was used for a character in the Naruto franchise.
"sky and heavens"
Class representative in the popular anime series My Hero Academia .
"shine"
Sparkling unisex name that skews masculine in its native Japan.
"thorn"
Toge is a character afflicted with curse speech in the Jujustu Kaisen anime series.
Regal Japanese name borne by the imperial Prince Toneri. In modern times, seen on moon-child Toneri Ōtsutsuki in the Naruto series.
"pierce; sea"
Typically a male name in Japan, however, Toru was used for the female character Toru Hagakure in the anime series My Hero Academia .
Unisex Japanese name seen on a character in the Haikyū!! manga and anime series.
"bright and sagacious; agile son"
White-haired hero of the manga and anime series Bleach .
Feminine variation of Tristan
"noise or sorrowful"
This female form of Tristan was featured on the reality-television show The Bachelorette, and has been rocketing up the charts as a new millennium Trisha.
"camellia flower"
Fragrant floral Japanese name.
"wing"
Japanese name featured regularly in anime and manga.
"rainy season"
Tsuyu is the Japanese word for the plum rain, or the East Asian rainy season. It was adopted as a name for a character in the anime series My Hero Academia .
