Japanese Girl Names

Cross-cultural winner.

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".

An appealing Asian name with a nickname feel.

Lovely Japanese name that would certainly be appreciated in Europe and the U.S. It was rarely used in Japan until the 1990s, and draws its current popularity from the fact that it is deeply connected to Japanese traditional culture without sounding frumpy and old-fashioned.

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

Mio is a lovely Japanese name for girls that has migrated beyond its native country. One Berry reports several young girls named Mio in Australia, and the name has potential in the rest of the English-speaking world for parents who want to move beyond Mia and Maya.

Japanese classic with optimistic meaning.

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

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

Ino was one of the Queens of Thebes who, after her death, became an immortal. Ino raised her nephew, Dionysus (son of Semele and Zeus), provoking the wrath of Hera. In desperation Ino threw herself into the sea and was thereafter venerated as Leucothea (The White Goddess).

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

In Japan, color names symbolize human qualities (in this case, fame); name of gifted violist Midori, but also a Japanese melon liqueur.

An Asian name not widely known in the West.

One of the most familiar and attractive Japanese names, though rarely heard outside that culture.

There are many in Japan, but for most Americans there's only one Yoko.

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

Taya has recently jumped into the mainstream name pool, perhaps because of kinship with Maya and Kaya. After five years outside the US Top 1000, it reentered in 2015.

Katana is a male name in Old Persian and a well-used word in Japanese, but as a girls' name is these days found more often as Kitana, the name of a princess in the video game Mortal Kombat II.

Distinctive and intriguing relative of Rae.

Short and catchy form of traditional Asian name.