Every name here is real: first names from Japan's baby name rankings and surnames from its 100 most common, or names of famous figures from the samurai era. Pick a style, then save the ones you like.
Names popular in Japan since 2004. Japanese order: family name first.
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Most name generators invent names by gluing syllables together, which is how characters end up with names no Japanese person has. This one only uses names that real people in Japan have been given, each with its kanji and what those kanji mean, so the result sounds right to a Japanese reader.
Names that have ranked in Japan's top 100 since 2004, the names of today's children and young adults. Girls' names in this style are soft and often short, like Himari, Tsumugi and Mei, and boys' names include Haruto, Minato and Sōta.
Names that were in the top 10 before 1990. They belong to parents and grandparents: Kazuko, Yōko and Akemi for women, Hiroshi, Takashi and Makoto for men. Girls' names ending in -ko are the clearest sign of this generation.
Modern names written with bold, striking kanji, such as 蒼 (blue), 颯 (swift wind) and 龍 (dragon). These are the kinds of names Japanese writers give heroes and rivals, but every one of them is also a real name.
Given names and family names of famous figures from the samurai era, such as Nobunaga, Masamune and Yukimura, and families such as Oda, Date and Sanada. The style mixes them freely, so a result like Date Yukimura is a blend, not a real person.
Japanese names date as clearly as English ones. These are the names that topped Meiji Yasuda's ranking most often in each decade since 1910. See every year on the popular names page.
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 千代 Chiyo | 清 Kiyoshi |
| 1920s | 文子 Fumiko | 清 Kiyoshi |
| 1930s | 和子 Kazuko | 清 Kiyoshi |
| 1940s | 和子 Kazuko | 勝 Masaru |
| 1950s | 恵子 Keiko | 茂 Shigeru |
| 1960s | 由美子 Yumiko | 誠 Makoto |
| 1970s | 陽子 Yōko | 誠 Makoto |
| 1980s | 愛 Ai | 大輔 Daisuke |
| 1990s | 美咲 Misaki | 翔太 Shōta |
| 2000s | 陽菜 Hina | 大翔 Haruto |
| 2010s | 陽菜 Hina | 蓮 Ren |
| 2020s | 陽葵 Himari | 蒼 Aoi |
In Japanese, the family name comes first: 田中 結衣 is Tanaka Yui, where Tanaka is the family. The generator shows names in this order. In English texts the order is often switched to Yui Tanaka, and since 2020 the Japanese government has written its own officials' names family name first in Roman letters too.
Surnames in Japan are far more varied than given names suggest: there are more than 100,000 of them, but the most common are shared by millions. The ten most common today are Satō, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka, Watanabe, Itō, Nakamura, Kobayashi, Yamamoto, Katō. See the top 100 last names for the rest.
A girl called Kazuko or a boy called Kiyoshi was most likely born before 1950, while Himari and Minato are names of children born in the 2020s. If your character has an age, the classic and modern styles keep the name believable.
Think about how the full name sounds too. Japanese naming books advise against a given name that starts with the sound the surname ends with, and a very long surname often pairs with a short given name. For more on choosing names for stories, see naming a Japanese character, or search by meaning with the kanji name builder.
The first names and surnames are all real. Modern and classic names come from Japan's annual baby name rankings, surnames from the most common family names in Japan. The combination is random, so a generated full name is not meant to be a real person.
Family name first, then given name: Tanaka Yui. In English the order is often reversed to Yui Tanaka, and both are understood. Since 2020 the Japanese government has used family-name-first order when writing names in Roman letters.
Endings help. Girls' names often end in -ko, -mi, -ka or -na (Yūko, Natsumi, Haruka, Hina), and boys' names in -ta, -to, -suke, -o or -rō (Sōta, Haruto, Daisuke, Ichirō). Many modern names, such as Aoi and Hinata, are given to both.
Strong, uncommon kanji such as 蒼 (blue), 颯 (swift wind) or 龍 (dragon), on a name that real people also have. The anime style uses names from the rankings written with bold kanji like these.
Yes. Names are not owned by anyone. If the character is meant to be a certain age, pick the classic style for older characters and the modern style for children and teenagers.