Japanese Baby Names, Meanings and Kanji
Two things trip people up about Japanese names before they even get to meanings. First, the family name comes before the given name in Japan itself (Tanaka Yuki, not Yuki Tanaka), though Japanese people commonly reorder to the Western convention when writing for English speakers. Second, the same spoken name can be written with different kanji characters, and each character combination can carry a different meaning. A name that sounds identical to another may mean something completely different depending on which characters a family chooses, so any single “meaning” below reflects one common reading, not the only one.
Japanese names for girls
- Sakura (meaning cherry blossom)
- Hana (meaning flower)
- Hikari (meaning light)
- Yuki (a common reading meaning snow, though other kanji give it different meanings)
- Mei (meaning varies by kanji, including readings tied to “bright” or “sprout”)
- Rin (a reading commonly associated with dignity or coldness, again kanji-dependent)
- Hoshiko (combining hoshi, star, and ko, child)
- Haruko (combining haru, which can mean spring, light, or sun depending on the kanji, and ko, child)
- Ai (meaning love or affection)
- Aiko (combining ai, love, and ko, child)
- Akane (meaning deep red, from the dye of the rubia plant)
- Akemi (combining ake, bright, and mi, beautiful)
- Akiko (combining aki, autumn or bright, and ko, child)
- Ami (combining a, second/Asia, and mi, beautiful)
- Asahi (meaning morning sun)
- Atsuko (combining atsu, warm or sincere, and ko, child)
- Aya (meaning colour or design, kanji-dependent)
- Ayaka (combining aya, colour, and ka, flower)
- Ayame (meaning iris, the flower)
- Chie (combining chi, thousand, and e, favour or picture)
- Chieko (combining chi, wisdom, e, favour, and ko, child)
- Chika (commonly read as meaning thousand or wisdom combined with good or flower)
- Chinatsu (combining chi, thousand, and natsu, summer)
- Chiyo (combining chi, thousand, and yo, generation or world)
- Chizuru (combining chi, thousand, and tsuru, crane; tied to the Japanese legend that folding a thousand origami cranes grants a wish)
Japanese names for boys
- Haruto (a very common modern name, often combining characters for sun and flying)
- Ren (a commonly used modern name, with meanings varying by kanji, including readings tied to lotus or love)
- Sora (meaning sky)
- Hiroshi (commonly read as meaning generous or tolerant)
- Kenji (a name historically associated with “strong” plus a suffix once used for second sons)
- Kaede (meaning maple tree)
- Kin (meaning gold)
- Akihiko (combining aki, bright, and hiko, boy or prince)
- Akio (combining aki, bright, and o, man)
- Arata (meaning fresh or new)
- Atsushi (commonly read as meaning pure, or kindness and honesty)
- Chikara (meaning power, capability, or influence)
- Daichi (combining dai, big or great, and chi, earth or land)
- Daiki (combining dai, big or great, and ki, brightness or tree)
- Daisuke (combining dai, big or great, and suke, help)
- Fumio (combining fumi, writing, and o, man)
- Haruki (combining haru, clear weather, and ki, brightness)
- Hayato (combining haya, falcon, and to, person)
- Hideki (combining hide, excellent or outstanding, and ki, tree)
- Hideo (combining hide, excellent, and o, man)
- Hinata (meaning sunny place or toward the sun)
- Hiroki (combining hiro, big or great, and ki, brightness or tree)
- Hiroto (combining hiro, big or great, and to, person)
- Isamu (meaning brave)
- Itsuki (meaning tree)
- Jin (meaning compassionate)
- Kiyoshi (meaning pure)
Names used for both genders
Aki (a short name commonly read as meaning bright or autumn, used for both boys and girls)
Browse more girl names by letter
Namelyra’s general girl-name pages, if a specific letter doesn’t have Japanese names covered here:
Browse more boy names by letter
Namelyra’s general boy-name pages, if a specific letter doesn’t have Japanese names covered here:
Japanese surnames
Surnames come first in Japan and are usually written with kanji unrelated to a given name’s meaning system. A handful of surnames account for a large share of the population, which is part of why “what does my last name mean” is one of the more common questions people bring to Japanese naming.
- Sato
- Suzuki
- Takahashi
- Tanaka
- Watanabe
These five are consistently among the most common surnames in Japan, though exact rankings shift slightly between sources and census years.
Traditional versus modern naming trends
The “ko” ending (meaning child) is a traditional feminine name suffix that was extremely common in earlier generations but has become noticeably less frequent in recent decades, as naming trends have shifted toward shorter, more modern-sounding names. Names like Haruto and Ren reflect that shift; names like Hoshiko and Haruko reflect the older pattern. Neither is more “correct,” they simply belong to different eras of naming.
Quick facts
| Name order | Family name first, given name second, within Japan |
| Writing system | Kanji characters, with meaning tied to the specific characters chosen |
| Common given-name themes | Nature, light, and traditional family-linked suffixes such as “ko” for girls |
Frequently asked questions
Why do some Japanese names have more than one meaning listed?
Because the same sound can be written with different kanji, and each kanji carries its own separate meaning. A name’s meaning in a real Japanese family depends entirely on which characters were chosen for that specific child.
Do Japanese people put their family name first or last?
First, within Japan. Tanaka Yuki means the family name is Tanaka and the given name is Yuki. When writing for English speakers, many Japanese people reorder this to given-name-first, which is why the convention can look inconsistent across sources.
Is the “ko” ending still common in Japanese girl names?
It has become less common in recent decades as naming trends have shifted toward shorter, more modern-sounding names, though it remains recognizable and traditional.
Can a Japanese name work for both boys and girls?
Some do, like Aki, though gender-neutral naming is less common in Japan than the kanji-driven meaning system, and most names still lean toward one gender through convention rather than a strict grammatical rule.