Japanese Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

A classic Japanese name known to kids around the world as a Nintendo video-game character.

Aiko is a very common Japanese name with a lovely meaning that is rarely heard outside the Asian community.

Kairi is the name of the main female character in the popular role-playing video game series, Kingdom Hearts. Voiced by Hayden Panettiere in the main series, Kairi is one of the seven Princesses of the Heart. Kairi entered the US Top 1000 in 2010 and was given to over 400 baby girls in one recent year.

Akira is a popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games. Akiro is a related name popular for boys.

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

In Japan the lotus is the Buddhist symbol of purity and perfection. In the US, Ren can also be short for Lauren or Renee, but it could be misspelt as the more popular Wren.

This adorable cross cultural name updates Naomi and offers an accessible Japanese option. Strikes the right balance by being distinctive without seeming strange.

Maro is an ancient saints' name -- he was an Italian follower of St. Flavia and was martyred -- rarely used in modern life. The name Maro may stem from the Roman Marcellus, related to Mars, the god of war, or it may be a feminine form of Maria, connected with Mario. Maro is also a Japanese name meaning "myself."

This name with a beautiful meaning can be used for girls as well as boys.

To honor the majestic mountain.

A popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games.

Azami has a prickly image and feel — reinforced by the thistle's image in Eastern mythology as one of defiance. A name that spans two widely divergent cultures, Azami might make the perfect international choice, at once unusual and easy to comprehend.

A more modern nickname for Victoria than Vicky, Tori is used fairly frequently on its own, kept in the public eye by singer Tori Amos and actress Tori Spelling. Still, it's far from fashionable, sinking in the polls significantly since reaching a peak of Number 142 in 1994.

Kaori is a Japanese girls' name once largely unknown but brought into the spotlight by celebrity couple Eniko and Kevin Hart, who gave it to their daughter in 2020. Kaori is easily translated in the Western World; it's got a rhythmic sound and a familiar feel, maybe since it's similar to Maori, the name of the people and language of New Zealand. But the correct pronunciation is kow-ree.

A funkier version of Coco that may be more appealing if you have Japanese or Native American heritage. Koko comes from the Blackfoot tribe, native to what is now Montana and Alberta, Canada.

A name known in several cultures, also through animated book character Tiger Aki. Finnish author Aki Ollikainen is another notable bearer.

Ichiro is a good classic choice for the first boy in a Japanese family.

Cross-cultural winner.

Akiro is well used in Japan, the first name of famed director Kurosawa.

A male Biblical name meaning healer, Asa is also an international gem. In Japanese, it means "(born in the) morning". And in Scandinavia, where it's generally spelled Åsa or Ása and pronounced O-sa, it's a popular diminutive form of Old Norse names beginning with the element áss "god".