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▼ Popularity Of Gender-Neutral Japanese Names Rose In 2023
- Category:Event
The rankings for the most popular baby names of 2023 are in, with kanji that can be read as Aoi or Ao (碧) in first place for boys, and characters reading as Himari, Haruki, Hinata, Hina or Hiyori (陽葵) the top pick for girls.
The annual rankings by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance, released Monday, showed that unisex names have risen in popularity.
Aoi or Ao was No. 1 for the first time since the major insurance company began tracking the topic, having moved up from fourth place last year.
The rise of the name's popularity can be attributed to the impact of Samurai Blue player Ao Tanaka, who scored a goal against Spain in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The meaning of the kanji is deep blue or green. Parents have given the name to their children in hopes that their future will be bright and clear like the sky or the ocean, the insurance firm said in a summary of the survey.
Another name that got a bump in the rankings due to sports, also influenced by last year's World Cup, was the name Ritsu (律), with this moving up the ranks from 25th place to fourth place, most likely due to the popularity of soccer player Ritsu Doan.
For girls' names, the kanji for Himari and the other readings came in first place for the second year in a row and the third time overall.
The name, which uses a combination of two kanji that mean “sunshine” and hollyhock, a flower that grows facing the sunlight, connotes a sense of brightness.
The popularity of the kanji — which has ranked either first or second place since 2019 — could be an indication that many parents wanted to instill a sense of hope in their children after struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said.
Several names that ranked highly in both the male and female categories included Haru, Sena and Rio — a sign that more parents are giving their children gender-neutral names, possibly indicating a shift toward a less gendered, more open-minded society, according to the company.
The rankings have been compiled annually by Meiji Yasuda Life since 1989, drawing from people who have life insurance contracts with the firm, and attempts to track name trends for newborns each year.
The 2023 rankings compiled results of 6,957 boys and 6,951 girls. The company presents two rankings, one on the most popular specific kanji combination of names and another on the popular reading of names, regardless of the kanji.
In the name reading rankings, Haruto came in first place for boys, while Ema was top for girls.
The rankings for popular readings, especially for girls, showed that the popularity of names that can be used with ease both in Japan and internationally has also increased. For these, the name Ema led the pack, while others such as Sana, Yuna, Sara, Mei, Rio and Luna also moved up the charts.
The annual rankings by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance, released Monday, showed that unisex names have risen in popularity.
Aoi or Ao was No. 1 for the first time since the major insurance company began tracking the topic, having moved up from fourth place last year.
The rise of the name's popularity can be attributed to the impact of Samurai Blue player Ao Tanaka, who scored a goal against Spain in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The meaning of the kanji is deep blue or green. Parents have given the name to their children in hopes that their future will be bright and clear like the sky or the ocean, the insurance firm said in a summary of the survey.
Another name that got a bump in the rankings due to sports, also influenced by last year's World Cup, was the name Ritsu (律), with this moving up the ranks from 25th place to fourth place, most likely due to the popularity of soccer player Ritsu Doan.
For girls' names, the kanji for Himari and the other readings came in first place for the second year in a row and the third time overall.
The name, which uses a combination of two kanji that mean “sunshine” and hollyhock, a flower that grows facing the sunlight, connotes a sense of brightness.
The popularity of the kanji — which has ranked either first or second place since 2019 — could be an indication that many parents wanted to instill a sense of hope in their children after struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said.
Several names that ranked highly in both the male and female categories included Haru, Sena and Rio — a sign that more parents are giving their children gender-neutral names, possibly indicating a shift toward a less gendered, more open-minded society, according to the company.
The rankings have been compiled annually by Meiji Yasuda Life since 1989, drawing from people who have life insurance contracts with the firm, and attempts to track name trends for newborns each year.
The 2023 rankings compiled results of 6,957 boys and 6,951 girls. The company presents two rankings, one on the most popular specific kanji combination of names and another on the popular reading of names, regardless of the kanji.
In the name reading rankings, Haruto came in first place for boys, while Ema was top for girls.
The rankings for popular readings, especially for girls, showed that the popularity of names that can be used with ease both in Japan and internationally has also increased. For these, the name Ema led the pack, while others such as Sana, Yuna, Sara, Mei, Rio and Luna also moved up the charts.
- December 6, 2023
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