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Top 20 Popular Anime Names for Boys and Girls on MAL

As our beloved medium grows bigger and bigger, it has become apparent that certain anime names are used more often than others... a lot more often. Here is a list of the 20 most common names for boys and girls in anime.
Apr 21, 2016 10:36 PM (PDT) by akirajasmine | 900,978 views


What's in a name? Though Shakespeare may argue differently, in anime, a name tends to be one of the most important elements in defining a character.

Some characters have obvious connections between their names and appearances, like the "Generation of Miracles" members from Kuroko no Basket who each have their aura color in their surname. And then there are others that have a more subtle relation, like Naruto Uzumaki, who was named after a famous ramen topping, or Gohan Son, who eats a lot of rice.

However, as Koro-sensei from Ansatsu Kyoushitsu once said, "Names don't make a person. They're merely left behind in our footsteps as we walk through life." Let us now retrace those footsteps on the path to the 20 most common anime girl and boy names in the MAL database!



List of Most Popular Anime Girl & Boy Names


20. Saki ♀

126 Characters Named Saki


Saki is indeed a beautiful Japanese name for our anime and young hopefuls! Why? It may sound like a very simple name, but it has a fancy meaning. It came from the Japanese words 咲 (sa) and 希 (ki) which mean "blossom" and "hope".



19. Yuri ♀

126 Characters Named Yuri


Yuri is one of the most common names for females which originated from Japan. In Japanese, Yuri means "lily" or "abundant ideals", while in Hebrew, it is defined as the "light of God".

  • Yuri Nakamura: the brave leader of Shinda Sekai Sensen, from Angel Beats!, who will stop at nothing to defend her friends from the evil that awaits them in the afterlife



18. Maria ♀

129 Characters Named Maria


In the Christian world, Maria (also known as Mary) is a very popular name as it is the name of Jesus Christ's mother. It's a feminine name, but it's also occasionally used as a middle name for males in some European countries like Poland, Germany, and Italy.



17. Hiroshi ♂

130 Characters Named Hiroshi


Hiroshi (寛, 浩) is a Japanese name which means "tolerant, generous" or "prosperous". A perfect fit for a nobleman, don't you think?



16. Megumi ♀

131 Characters Named Megumi


Megumi is probably one of the cutest Japanese names for girls with a very beautiful meaning. It means (恵) "blessing", or (恵) "love" and "affection".



15. Aya ♀

131 Characters Named Aya


Aya is a common name which is only used for females. It's a name with multiple meanings depending on which dialect it was derived from. In Japanese あや, アヤ (aya) means "beautiful", "colorful", or "design". However, in Arabic, آية (aya) can mean "algebra 1", "500", "verse", or "miracle".



14. Takashi ♂

133 Characters Named Takashi


Takashi is a common given name for Japanese males and was used historically for nobles and royals for its majestic meanings such as (隆) "noble" or "prosperous" and (崇) "esteem" or "honour".



13. Kei ♂/♀

137 Characters Named Kei


Kei is a Japanese name which is commonly used as a male's given name, although recently it is used as a female's nickname, taken from the first syllable of their name - Keiko, for example. When written in kanji Kei (圭, 恵) means "square jewel" or "blessing". In Hawaiian, it means "one's pride and joy", and in African, it means "sandy" or "white".



12. Rin ♂/♀

141 Characters Named Rin


In the Japanese culture, 凛 (rin) is a unisex given name which means "severe", "cold", or "dignified". It is oftentimes written out as Lynn or Lin.



11. Akane ♀/♂

154 Characters Named Akane


Akane (あかね, アカネ), normally written in hiragana or katakana, is a Japanese term meaning either "deep red" or "brilliant red". It is a common name used for females, but it can be used for males too!



10. Ai ♀

158 Characters Named Ai


Affection and love are the most popular meanings for the Japanese name Ai (愛), however 藍 (ai) could also mean "indigo" when written in a different kanji.



9. Jun ♂

159 Characters Named Jun


As famous as it is in the world of anime, Jun is also a popular and very common name for both Chinese and Korean males. In Chinese, Jun (君, 俊, 军) can mean "king" or "ruler", "talented" or "handsome", and "army" or "masculine", respectively. Apparently, it also means "talented" or "handsome" in Korean.

  • Jun Tao: a Daoist priestess from Shaman King who has the ability to revive corpses
  • Jun Satou: a cute but rather intimidating chef from Working!! who just can't seem to get the girl, no matter how hard he tries



8. Kaoru ♂

164 Characters Named Kaoru


Kaoru (薫) may be one of the common anime names bestowed for its literal meaning. Anyone who bears this name is apparently "fragrant".



7. Yuu ♂

173 Characters Named Yuu


Yuu (優, 悠) is a Japanese name which means "gentleness, lithe, superior" or "distant, leisurely". It is also one of the most common Japanese nicknames for males. It can be combined with others to create a wonderful meaning, such as Yuuichirou which means "independent, brave, and wise".



6. Aoi ♀ / ♂

173 Characters Named Aoi


As a noun, Aoi (葵) is a Japanese name which means "hollyhock", a Eurasian plant, or "althea" a Greek name which means "wholesome". However, when it's used as an adjective, 碧 (ao) means "blue".



5. Yuki ♀

173 Characters Named Yuki


Yuki is a Japanese name which is mostly bestowed upon girls. It has a lot of possible meanings depending on how it is written in Kanji, but the most popular meanings for yuki (幸, 雪) are "happiness" and "snow".



4. Sakura ♀

179 Named Sakura


Sakura is a very popular Japanese name for girls, not only in Japan, but also in many other countries. It refers to Japan's famous "cherry blossom". However, fewer children are being named Sakura recently, as it is said that naming your child so would be a bad omen, implying an early death since cherry blossoms fall too soon from the tree.



3. Makoto ♂ / ♀

198 Characters Named Makoto


Although it's a more popular name for males, Makoto can also be used for females. It's a wonderful name for good people as it means "truth" (真) or "sincerity" (誠).



2. Haruka ♂ / ♀

199 Characters Named Haruka


Haruka (遥) is a Japanese name that means "distant" or "remote". However when written as 春, 晴 (haru) and 花, 香 (ka), it forms a different meaning which could be "spring" or "clear weather" and "flower" or "fragrance", respectively.



1. Akira ♂/♀

276 Characters Named Akira


One of the most popular kanji for Akira is 明 - meaning "clear", "bright", or "intelligent". A nice anime name with an even nicer meaning, it is no wonder Akira is the most common anime name on this list.

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