Hanako
2025 SSA
About Hanako
Hanako has a delicate sound and quaint meaning -- but there's a catch. According to widespread urban legend in Japan, Hanako is the name of the ghost of a little girl who haunts school bathrooms, who sometimes answers if you call her name.
The so-called "Hanako of the Toilet" has been the subject of countless fictional adaptations since the rumor started to circulate in the 1950s. Hanako was once such a common name that it was used in the Japanese equivalent of "Jane Doe," but it's gotten much less popular as the legend of Hanako-san has spread.
Pronounced HAH-nah-koh.
As of October 2026, Hanako ranked #9688 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2076 in 1921.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
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Hanako on lists
Famous Hanakos
- Hanako
Princess Hitachi, wife of Prince Hitachi of Japan
- Hanako Muraoka
Japanese translator
Hanako in pop culture
- Hanako Yamada
9th rival in the video game Yandere Simulator
- Hanako
san, a legendary ghost who haunts school bathrooms in Japan
- Hanako
kun, male ghost from anime and manga series Toilet,Bound Hanako,kun inspired by the legend
- Hanako Arasaka
Character in Cyberpunk TTRPGs and Cyberpunk 2077