Japanese Baby Names – Names from the Land of the Rising Sun

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Sushi, Shiazo, minimalist design and anime cartoons are just some of the Japanese cultural elements that can be found in every home in the Western world. Now the next big thing to come from the land of Sony and samurais are baby names.

Japan post WWII is a nation of progress, technology and modernization. Japan is one of the eight most developed countries in the world. Its cultural and economical influence on Europe and North America is overwhelming, but in spite of all the changes the mentality and tradition have stayed strong and so have the names.

Japan's main religion is Buddhism, which preaches for peace and enlightenment. Pretty girl manes inspired by it are Ai, meaning "love," or Aiko, "little loved one" (Ko in Japanese means child or little), Aini, meaning "beautiful love," and Mai, meaning "brightness." Some boy names are Akira, which appears regularly in popular given name lists and means "bright" or "intelligent," Shin, meaning "true" and Masao, meaning "righteous man."

Despite the Buddhist peaceful way, the Japanese have a long history of militarism, striving for excellence and loyalty without bounds. The samurai and shogun behavioral codes are kept to this day. A lot of boy names are inspired by this tradition:
Masaru is a name meaning "victory," or "to win," Takeru means "warrior," Tadashi means "correct and righteous," Tsuyoshi, "strong, tough" and Takeo means "hero, gentleman."

Japan is a rural country. Two thirds of Japan consists of wild forests, mountains and rivers. Nature is an important element in Japanese culture. Because most of the country is wilderness, the people have come to trust the elements for food and survival.

Girl names which are inspired by nature elements are Amarante, meaning "a flower that never fades," Hana, "to bud or blossom," Gen, meaning "spring" and Sayuri, "little lily." Girl names tend to be inspired by the magnificence of nature contrary to boy names, which deal with basic elements of the earth:
Riku, a name meaning "land," Hiroki, meaning "big tree," Yutaka, meaning "abundance "and Mizu meaning "water."

Japanese traditional values are those of righteousness, family life, loyalty and modesty. Here are pretty names which are inspired by these ideals: Yoko, meaning "positive child," Miya, meaning "sacred house" and Sachi meaning "girl child of bliss" are popular girl names. Akio, meaning "shining man," Hiroshi, meaning "generous"
and Kiyoshi, meaning "pure" are boy names.

Japanese culture is so appealing because on the one hand it is a progressive, high paced society but on the other it still holds on to traditions and mannerisms that are over two thousand years old. Japanese names are appealing because they have two sides to them as well; many names are easy to pronounce and give a sense of simplicity. Names such as Ren, meaning "lotus," Hitomi, "blue eyes." or Ryo, meaning "cool," have meaning and depth that are related to a man's connection with the earth, his family and himself.