400+ Japanese Dog Names

Actor Wilmer Valderrama and Amanda Pacheco adapted this Japanese surname for their daughter Nakano Oceana, born in 2021. The couple was inspired by female samurai Nakano Takeko (Nakano being her surname), who led a group of women warriors that fought on the front lines against samurai rules.

Not as familiar as some other Asian imports; has a strong unisex feel.

Like many Japanese names, Kazu can be used for either gender and has a range or meanings, depending on how the kanji are drawn and interpreted. It can also be short for names such as Kazuko or Kazuya.

Atari debuted for girls in 1980, a year after it appeared on the charts for boys. It's not a Japanese given name, instead, the name was influenced by the video game company. Atari named themselves after a Japanese phrase, atari, used in the ancient Chinese game Go. It means, roughly, "I am about to win," and is said in a similar context to which one would say "checkmate" in chess.

Mima was once a common nickname for the biblical Jemima.

This Japanese name is used for both girls and boys.

Rare Japanese name featured in several anime series.

Japanese surname occasionally heard as a first.

This unisex Japanese name can be formed by many combinations of kanji, but the most oft-cited meaning is intuitive for English speakers — "mint."

This unisex Japanese name has dozens of possible meanings, depending on the kanji characters used.

Like many Japanese names, Kazu can be used for both girls and boys and has several meanings, depending on how the kanji are drawn and interpreted. It can also be short for names such as Kazuko or Kazuya.