400+ Japanese Dog Names

Unisex Japanese name used more often for girls these days. Potential successor to Kai.

In Welsh, a diminutive of Iorwerth. As a Japanese name, Iori stands alone.

Heard most frequently in 18th century Japan, Hanzo is a rarity in modern culture. Hattori Hanzo was a legendary samurai of the Sengoku Era. A modern day namesake might be Hanzo Shimada, from the video game Overwatch. Hanzo is one of many unique baby names from Asia and from the gaming world.

Slavic diminutive of Anna

A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.

Soma makes an unusual (outside Hungary) choice of nature name. It is rare that a beautiful flowering tree is used for a boy, so if you're looking for something floral for a boy, make sure you consider this choice.

Niko was used for 20 baby girls in the US last year, and twin sister Nico for another 30 -- though that's still far fewer than the 2600 baby boys who were given one of those two names.

Sachiko was one of the first Japanese names familiar to Americans when it was used in the 1950s by actress Shirley Maclaine for her daughter, called the adorable short form Sachi. While Sachiko does not rank on the US Social Security baby names list, Sachi was given to 25 girls in the most recent year counted.

A simple, importable Japanese name that is used for both males and females and carries a multitude of meanings depending on which character is used to denote it. While most westerners pronounced it rye-oh, its real pronunciation is closer to ree-uh. A similar male name, Ryu, means "dragon."

An extremely common Japanese name, especially among women.

Akari is a gender-neutral Japanese name used fairly evenly between the sexes in the US.

One of the 1,008 names for the god Siva and, to English speakers, a possible feminine spin on Harry.

Actress Mena Suvari (named after an Egyptian hotel) made this name seem especially appealing. Mena is also a minor Roman goddess of fertility.

Common name among Japanese men that can be written with a variety of kanji, giving it different meanings.

Koji, also written as Kōji, is a common name among men in Japan. It is also featured as a character name in many anime series.

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

Rira is a truly multicultural name with roots in four different languages. It's most common as a Japanese name, where it can be made up of various kanji combinations with meanings such as "good plum" and "easy pear." In French, it means "laugh."

Kiba means "fang" in Japanese, and while not a common name for boys in Japan, it's popped up multiple times for fictional characters. Kiba Inuzuka is a Naruto character with a strong attachment to his dog.

Kyoto is a Japanese city name not yet on the map for babies, but why not?