These Are the Most Popular Boys' and Girls' Names in Japan (2024)

Sakura Godber’s first instinct when considering baby names for her son in 2012 was to lean towards more Western names. Her own first name, which means “cherry blossom” in Japanese, was paired with a Western middle name — Diane — to reflect her Japanese American identity.

But for a time during her childhood, Godber wished to be more legible to American society and wanted to be called by her middle name. When it came time to name their son, her husband emphasized the value of honoring her Japanese ancestry, so she made a swift mental switch.

“We need to have Japanese names for their identity, purpose,” says Godber, an insurance underwriter from Pasadena, California.

The couple created lists of potential Japanese baby names. “I was suggesting names that I knew you'd reject so that I could get the one I wanted,” Oliver, Sakura's husband, joked.

Keiji Jake Godber was the name that officially made the cut, followed in 2015 by little brother, Jin Mason Godber. The name Keiji (pronounced kay-gee and means “to move forward and patch up disagreements”) was inspired by video game producer Keiji Inafume to which the couple has no connection except that they liked the name.

Names can be cultural and personal signifiers of identity. They can give a sneak peek into a family’s personal preferences or pop culture consumption, especially since Japanese influence is pervasive in American culture through anime and games. In Japanese naming practices, new parents try to “express their visions of their child's life, personality and wishes for what kind of person they want the child to be,” says Dr. Noriko Watanabe in her study, “Poetics of Japanese Naming Practices.”

But there is no wrong way to fall in love with a name. New parents can choose a name based on sound or the warmth it elicits when the perfect combo is discovered. These lists of Japanese baby names are compiled with references from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) annual database of popular names and lists from sites that keep track of their users' baby names like Nameberry and Babycenter.com, along with translated names and suggestions from Watanabe, an adjunct assistant professor in the department of modern languages and literatures at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, and Noriko Kolbe, senior lecturer at Georgia Southern University’s department of world languages and cultures.

The lists may help inspire visions of who you want your child to be. Take the names for joyrides. Let them roll off the tongue. Fall in love accordingly. Then notice that nature-inspired and gender-neutral names are trending.

In Japan, a newborn's birth must be recorded within 14 days in the family registry or koseki, a version of the SSA that functions as the legal document to verify identity. When Japanese parents name a baby, they often consider the meanings of kanji (Chinese characters), the number of strokes in the kanji, the balance of kanji between the last name and first name and the sound/pronunciation of the name, said Kolbe in her 2020 study, “Child Naming Practice and Changing Trends in Modern Japan.” New parents in Japan also must choose how to write the name. There are three main scripts: hiragana, katakana and kanji.

The Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company in Japan conducts an annual survey of popular Japanese baby names. The results are only written in Japanese, but luckily Dr. Watanabe helped to translate a few of this year's top contenders. Last year, Haruto, which means “a person born in the spring or sunlight” won for the boys for the 14th consecutive year. For girls, Ema, which means “love and jasmine” topped the list. This name can crossover to the U.S. as Emma, a la the actress Emma Stone.

Top Japanese Boy Names

1. Haruto
2. Aoto
3. Riku
4. Minato
5. Haruki

Top Japanese Girl Names

1. Ema
2. Mei
3. Sana
4. Mio
5. Ichika

For the best inspiration for names look no further than the forests, flowers and the natural world — a baby-naming trend we've been seeing for a few years now. Nature-inspired Japanese names will continue to increase in popularity this year, Kolbe says. Think names like Himari (sun) and Aoi (hollyhock). Kolbe provided some other Japanese names inspired by Mother Nature:

Female nature-inspired baby names

1. Himari (sun)
2. Yuina (vegetables/greens)
3. Riko (jasmine)
4. Yuzuki (citrus fruit)
5. Hana (flower)

Male nature-inspired baby names

1. Aoi (hollyhock)
2. Mori (forest)
3. Ren (lotus)
4. Sora (sky)
5. Yuki (snow)

While newborn naming practices continue to stay rather normative in terms of gender binaries, Kolbe notes that Japanese gender-neutral names are rising in popularity. Names like Izumi, which means “spring” or “fountain,” can be used interchangeably between genders. Here are some other gender-neutral names to consider, according to Kolbe.

1. Enkai
2. Nagi(sa)
3. Midori
4. Tsubasa
5. Izumi
6. Itsuki
7. Jun
8. Seiko
9. Shinobu
10. Tomi
    

If none of those naming trends hit the mark, consider these additional Japanese baby names.

Boy Names

1. Akira
2. Arata
   
3. Asa
4. Hideki
5. Hideo
6. Hikaru
7. Hinata
   
8. Hiroshi
9. Ichiro
10. Isamu
    
11. Jiro
12. Kai
13. Kaito
    
14. Kane
15. Kazuo
16. Kenji
17. Kenzo
18. Kobe
19. Makoto
    
20. Manzo
21. Naoki
    
22. Naruto
23. Nobu
    
24. Ozuru
25. Ryu
26. Samaru
27. Seiji
28. Sentaro
    
29. Shigeru
    
30. Tadao
31. Takashi
    
32. Yoshi
33. Yūma
34. Yūto
    
35. Zen

Girl Names

1. Aiko
2. Akemi
3. Akiko
4. Amaya
5. Ayumi
6. Chieko
   
7. Hikari
   
8. Hoshi
9. Kai
10. Kaori
    
11. Keiko
12. Kiyomi
13. Mai
    
14. Manami
15. Mariko
    
16. Mika
17. Naoko
18. Nara
19. Noa
20. Nomi
21. Nori
22. Rei
23. Rio
24. Rumi
25. Sara
26. Sayuri
    
27. Shinju
    
28. Sumi
29. Suzume
    
30. Tori
31. Tsumugi
    
32. Ume
    
33. Wakana
    
34. Yuna
35. Yui

Looking for more great baby names? Check out these Good Housekeeping guides:

Most Popular Names for Boys | Most Popular Names for Girls | Indian/Hindu Boy Names | Indian/Hindu Girl Names | Hispanic Boy Names | Hispanic Girl Names | Irish Boy Names | Irish Girl Names | Long Names for Boys | Long Names for Girls | Short Names for Boys | Short Names for Girls

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