Featured Articles

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.

by akirajasmine
Apr 21, 2016 10:36 PM | 907,009 views

Common Japanese names
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


Common Anime Names, Saki, Saki Miyanaga

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


Common Anime Names, Angel Beats!, Yuri Nakamura

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


Common Anime Names, Hayate no

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


Common Anime Names, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge♥, 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


Common Anime Names, Special A,

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


Common Anime Names, Kiniro Mosaic, Aya Komichi

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


Common Anime Names, Highschool of the Dead, Takashi Komuro

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


Common Anime Names, Special A,

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


Common Anime Names, Ao no Exorcist, Rin Okumura

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


Common Anime Names, Smile Precure, Akane Hino

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


Common Anime Names, Amagami

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


Common Anime Names, Shaman King, Jun Tao

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


Common Anime Names, Ouran Koukou Host Club, Kaoru Hitachiin

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


Common Anime Names, Owari no

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


Common Anime Names, Rail Wars!, Aoi Sakurai

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


Common Anime Names, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, Yuki Nagato

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


Common Anime Names, Cardcaptor Sakura, Sakura Kinomoto

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


Common Anime Names, School Days, Makoto Itou

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


Common Anime Names, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S, Haruka Tenou

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


Common Anime Names, Special A,

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.

Related Articles

20 of the Best Mature Anime of All Time

20 of the Best Mature Anime of All Time

Anime aimed at teens is a lot of fun. But anime aimed at an older crowd is on a whole other level! You get more violence, gore, nudity and sex than you bargained for...which isn't entirely a bad thing.
Top 10 Cool Anime Characters of All Time

Top 10 Cool Anime Characters of All Time

In our previous posts, we have listed down the hot, sexy, and cute anime characters. But this time around, we bring you a list of the coolest anime characters of all time!
15 of the Best Adult Anime of All Time

15 of the Best Adult Anime of All Time

You've always known that anime is a medium that breaks down boundaries. Now, we're going to be taking a look at the best adult anime which push things beyond the limit!
Top 15 Action Romance Anime

Top 15 Action Romance Anime

We all get in the mood for some fun, excitement and a good love story. And we all love to watch anime with our significant others...so that we can witness what our favorite characters are doing with their significant others. It's time to check out some top-notch action romance anime!
The 10 Best Dating Simulation Games of All Time

The 10 Best Dating Simulation Games of All Time

Hey, get off Tinder! There's plenty of cute girls and guys (but mostly girls) that are waiting to meet you. Check out our list of the 10 best dating sim games, available to play in English!

All Tags Trending Tags

It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login