100 Japanese baby names for boys

Esther Sun
Updated ·2 min read
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For soon-to-be parents, choosing a Japanese boy name for your new arrival can be the perfect opportunity to honor your culture and help your son connect to it, too.

Whether you want your baby’s name to reflect his Japanese heritage or are simply looking for name ideas with rich meanings behind them, Japanese boy names provide an abundance of choices.

One name of Japanese origin — Kai — even made it into the top 100 baby boy names of 2021, according to the Social Security Administration.

Another Japanese name, Kobe, was found in the top 300 boy names of 2021. The name Kobe started gaining popularity in the U.S. in the 1990s during the rise of NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant, whose parents named him after the Japanese beef of the same name.

Some prominent Japanese-American figures with Japanese boy names include filmmaker Hiro Murai, a producer behind critically-acclaimed TV series "The Bear," historian Yuji Ichioka, "Heroes" actor Masayori “Masi” Oka, and Hawaiian Senator Sanji Abe, who was the first Japanese-American to be elected to that body.

100 Japanese Boy Names

Since we know the process of landing on the perfect name for your baby can be overwhelming and even stressful, we’re here to help you find inspiration to make a choice that feels right to you!

Without further ado, here are some Japanese boy names for expecting parents to consider.

  • Akio

  • Kenzo

  • Fuyuki

  • Ren

  • Arata

  • Kenji

  • Aoi

  • Osuke

  • Hikaru

  • Kei

  • Masao

  • Nori

  • Ritsu

  • Yuto

  • Haruto

  • Ryosuke

  • Soma

  • Kaede

  • Hanzo

  • Akimitsu

  • Hikari

  • Yasu

  • Ryo

  • Akira

  • Itsuki

  • Junpei

  • Kenshin

  • Makoto

  • Shuto

  • Yukiya

  • Isamu

  • Kohaku

  • Isao

  • Akemi

  • Minoru

  • Banri

  • Haru

  • Daisuke

  • Jun’ichi

  • Ayumu

  • Taiki

  • Teruyuki

  • Ryu

  • Atsuki

  • Haruka

  • Shuta

  • Tatsuki

  • Hifumi

  • Touki

  • Michi

  • Noriaki

  • Yukiharu

  • Kentaro

  • Touwa

  • Hajime

  • Takehiko

  • Kazuo

  • Haruki

  • Jun

  • Shoichi

  • Koki

  • Mitsuaki

  • Daigo

  • Koji

  • Ryota

  • Kazuyuki

  • Ken

  • Hinata

  • Yoshi

  • Aoto

  • Minato

  • Hayate

  • Seriya

  • Ichiro

  • Aritomo

  • Takashi

  • Touji

  • Sho

  • Kichiro

  • Akihito

  • Nobutoshi

  • Riku

  • Hiro

  • Yosuke

  • Zenji

  • Daishi

  • Masashi

  • Haruya

  • Fumihito

  • Katsuro

  • Sota

  • Fuyuhiko

  • Asahi

  • Hideyoshi

  • Yori

  • Yuma

  • Akio

  • Naoki

  • Masami

  • Yukinari

This article was originally published on TODAY.com