The most popular Japanese baby names of the past 30 years, from Sakura to Shota

Meanings show hope for bold boys, beautiful girls in list of the most popular names of the Heisei era.

The Japanese language has more than 2,000 general-use written kanji characters, which can be used by themselves or in combination with others. That creates a virtually limitless number of not only vocabulary words that can be created, but names too.

Still, just as in other countries, some names catch on while others fade away for being too old-fashioned or unflattering. With Japan’s Heisei era set to wind down next spring when Emperor Akihito abdicates the throne, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance decided to take a look back on the 30 years of Heisei and compile a list of the most popular names for boys and girls born since 1989.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 for each, along with how they’re written and what they mean.

● Boys top 10
10. Takuya (meaning: “pioneering land”)
拓也

9. Sota (“strongly blowing wind”)
颯太

8. Daiki (“large tree”)
大樹

7. Tsubasa (“wings”)
翼
6. Hiroto (“soaring high”)
大翔
5. Daiki (“shining brightly”)
大輝
4. Ren (“lotus”)
蓮

3. Kenta (“healthy and strong”)
健太
2. Sho (“soaring”)
翔
1. Shota (“soaring strongly”)
翔太

There’re a lot of bold, auspicious imagery at play in the boys’ list, with numerous mentions of flying high in the sky and allusions to physical strength. One name that really stands out from the rest, though, is Ren, which is one of the few Japanese male names with a floral theme (though it still has a strong, masculine sound to it).

● Girls top 10
10. Mitsuki (“beautiful moon”)
美月

9. Mirai (“future”)
未来
8. Manami (“beautiful love”)
愛美
7. Nanami (“seven seas”)
七海

6. Yui (“connected clothing”)
結衣
5. Ai (“love”)
愛
4. Sakura (“cherry blossom”)
さくら

3. Hina (“sun and plants”)
陽菜
2. Aoi (“hollyhock”)
葵
1. Misaki (“beautiful blossom”)
美咲

Meanwhile, the girls’ list has a softer touch to it, with references to beauty, romance, or flowers showing up a collective eight times. The girls’ list also has the only non-kanji name, with Sakura rendered entirely in phonetic hiragana, as opposed to the more stately kanji version of the name, 桜, ostensibly because of the more rounded, cuter lines used to write さくら.

It’s worth bearing in mind that just like in other cultures, parents in Japan often choose a name for their child based more on the name’s sound than its meaning, which explains how Yui, with its charming ring, made it into the top 10 for girls despite its mundane meaning. And even for those names that do have more appealing meaning, with a few exceptions such as Sakura, Ai, and debatably Tsubasa, native Japanese speakers hear every entry on these lists first and foremost as people’s names, without giving their meanings much immediate thought. Still, the use of kanji does give them an associated meaning, and this list of names parents have chosen over the past 30 years is a reflection of the hopes and aspirations they had for their children in the Heisei era.

Sources: Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance, Namae Search
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Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

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