There are a few surveys in Japan that attempt to figure out which names were the most popular in the previous year. According to one of the more recent Japanese name surveys, the results were as follows. Naturally, previous trends are expected to continue.
Top Five Names for Females
= Yui
= Yua
= Rin
= Aoi
= Hina
Top Five Names for Males
= Souta
= Sora
= Ren
= Hiroto
= Yuuma
Individual names can be written with a myriad of different kanji characters. Sometimes, names are even written with hiragana. This means that the characters that spell different names can vary from person to person. However, there are a few characters that have seen major growth over the last year. Ki meaning hope, Kokoro meaning spirit and heart, and You meaning sun or positive have been extremely popular. Despite the sad aftermath of the March 2011 disaster, parents wish for a positive and promising future for children.
One Japanese name trend to keep an eye on involves the kanji character Ko. This character, which can be read as child, is traditionally found at the end of female names. Numerous Japanese women have a name that ends in Ko. However, in recent compilations the character hasn't been quite as popular. In fact, only three names out of the most popular 100 or so female Japanese names even have the character in them. These were Riko, and Nanako. Note that Riko has two distinct common spellings in Kanji, and thus it was counted as two distinct names.
At the same time, the kanji for na or ka has become popular for ending female Japanese names. Names like Honoka, Ayaka, Haruna and Momoka have been quite popular in recent years. While these naming patterns might seem rather diverse, no one should feel that the Royal Family has lost influence over naming. In 2001, Her Imperial Highness Crown Princess Masako gave birth to HIH Princess Aiko. For this reason, the name Aiko has been very popular in recent years.
