Japanese Girl Names

A popular Japanese name used for the young heroine of the animated film, "Spirited Away."

The name Kiri was made famous by New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, whose original name was Claire. Cute but slight, Kiri is close to several other names from Kiriah to Keira to Kyra and its diminutive Kyrie.

Naoko is a common Japanese name with an admirable meaning, which, depending on how it's written, can translate to obedient, straight, honest, or green child. Naoko can also be spelled Nahoko.

Attractive but slight Asian alternative, with a 1970s nickname feel.

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

An Indian name used to describe some of the tenets of Buddhism, such as the Four Noble Truths (catvary arya satyani) or The Noble Eightfold Path (arya marga). It can also simply be a spelling variation of Aria, making it a cultural crossover name with both style and substance.

Simple and, yes, elegant -- until you think of the wrestlers.

As Ryan quickly becomes a plausible option for a girl, some parents may be interested in the spelling Rian — the more authentic and original form of the name.

A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.

A very popular girls' name in Japan with an unfortunate English pronunciation: picture a toddler with a hurt knee saying "owee."

Baby names that started off as diminutives -- Ena, Ita, Etta -- seem too insubstantial for a modern female.

Naming babies after precious gems as a protection against evil spirits is an ancient Japanese tradition.

Chie is a feminine Japanese name that carries significant cultural meaning. In Japanese, Chie (知恵 or 智恵) typically means 'wisdom' or 'intelligence,' though the exact meaning can vary depending on the kanji characters used to write it. The name is concise and elegant, reflecting traditional Japanese naming preferences for brevity and meaningful associations. Outside Japan, Chie remains relatively uncommon, maintaining its distinctive cultural identity. For parents seeking a name that combines simplicity with depth of meaning, Chie offers both qualities. Its single-syllable pronunciation in English (though properly two syllables in Japanese: 'chi-eh') makes it accessible while still honoring its Japanese origins.

Niko was used for 14 baby girls in the US last year, and twin sister Nico for another 30 -- though that's still far fewer than the 1500 baby boys who were given one of those two names.

Kazuko is a Japanese feminine name that combines the character kazu ("harmony") with ko ("child"), creating a name that in total symbolises a child of peace. In Japan, names ending in ‘ko’ are rarely used as they now sound oldfashioned. More ‘trendy’ names are Kazumi (which means beautiful peace and can me used on both boys and girls), Kazuki (a masculine name meaning hope of peace) and Kazuo (also a masculine name meaning man of peace). The emphasis is on the first syllable, so it is said "KA-zoo-ko".

Foreign variations of Mary are definitely the way to go; this one has a nice Dutch-girl feel. It also works as a cultural crossover name, e.g. between European languages and Japanese.

The childhood name of the heroine of Memoirs of a Geisha is pretty and accessible. Chiyiko is a pet form.

Medieval name that still hasn't crossed the ocean, known here primarily via actress/teacher Uta Hagen.