Anime girl names: 140+ Japanese names with meanings

Hana (flower), Momo (peach), Yume (dream), Suzu (bell), Kurumi (walnut) and Kotori (little bird) are short, sweet and widely used in anime.

Most are. Anime usually gives characters ordinary Japanese given names, which is why every name on this page is a real name used in Japan, with a meaning that depends on its kanji.

The kanji 子 (ko) means child, and it was the most common ending for girls' names through much of the 20th century. It feels a little old-fashioned today, so newer anime use it less.

Yes. Japanese names are written in kanji, and one sound can be written many ways. Haruka can be 遥 (distant) or 春香 (spring fragrance), so always check the kanji.

In Meiji Yasuda's 2025 survey of Japanese babies, the top girls' names by kanji were 翠 (Sui or Midori), 陽葵 (Himari) and 紬 (Tsumugi), with 凛 (Rin) fifth. Tsumugi had been No. 1 in 2024.

It shows that the speaker finds someone endearing. It is used for children, close friends, often girls and young women, and even pets, but not for strangers or people one has just met.

Yes. Both are registered in the US: in 2025, 17 girls were named Mikasa and 17 Nezuko. Just know where they come from: Mikasa was named after a Japanese battleship, and Nezuko is very rare as a real Japanese name.