Anime Dog Names

Hayate is most common among Zillennial men in Japan, where it's also the name of a train service. The meaning varies depending on which kanji combination is used, but its association with wind and noise gives it a spirited feel.

Accessible and attractive name from the Naruto series. The meaning "screw" refers to a metal screw.

Featured in several anime series.

A popular choice right now in Japan, where it recently ranked in the Top 10.

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 worker.

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

Common Japanese name most notably connected to Shigeo Shingō, Japanese industrial engineer and expert on the Toyota Production System.

Commonly borne by Gen X women in Japan.

Cute Japanese name with a nickname to match. Rini was used in the Sailor Moon series.

Also written as Eijirō or Eijirou, this name was traditionally borne by second-born sons.

Pronunciation would not be obvious to Americans.

Sachiko was one of the first Japanese names familiar to Americans when it was used in the 1950s by actress Shirley Maclaine for her daughter, called the adorable short form Sachi. While Sachiko does not rank on the US Social Security baby names list, Sachi was given to 25 girls in the most recent year counted.

As a masculine name, Madara has roots in Japanese. It's not used as a given name, rather it was chosen for the character Madara Uchiha in the Naruto series.

Jinbe, also called Jinbei or Jimbei is a whale-like character in the anime series One Piece. His name comes from the word jinbei-zame, "whale-shark."

Japanese classic with optimistic meaning.

Koji, also written as Kōji, is a common name among men in Japan. It is also featured as a character name in many anime series.

Sparkling unisex name that skews masculine in its native Japan.

Michi can be a playful yet charming Japanese name or a friendly German diminutive of Michael (or Michaela), pronounced similarly to Mickey. Either way, it is a unisex option with broad appeal.

Sasuke Uchiha is a popular character from Naruto, a ninja rival of the titular character.

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.