Unisex name · Japanese
Akira
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: bright, clear (depends on characters)Akira is a gender-neutral name that comes from Japanese and means "bright, clear (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Bright, clear (depends on characters)
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- ah-KEE-rah
Meaning and origin of Akira
As a gender-neutral name, Akira comes from Japanese and means "bright, clear (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
Say it ah-KEE-rah. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Its meaning puts Akira on our names that mean light list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Akira in Japanese
In hiragana, Akira is あきら. In kanji it can be written several ways, and each choice gives the name its own meaning. These are spellings used for the name, with what each kanji means.
| Kanji | Reading | What the kanji mean |
|---|---|---|
| 明 | あきら | 明 bright, light |
| 昭 | あきら | 昭 shining, bright |
| 晃 | あきら | 晃 clear, bright |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Akira on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Akira on 4 lists.
“明: bright, clear. Sharp and classic”
From Anime girl names, unisex Japanese names anime gives to girls
“Bright, clear; Japanese, often written 明. Say ah-KEE-rah”
From Gender neutral names, unisex names from Asia and the Pacific
“Bright, clear; also 晃 and 章. Used for both genders.”
From Japanese boy names, japanese boy names meaning light and sun
“Bright, clear; Japanese, often written 明”
From Names that mean light, names that mean bright or shining
How popular is Akira?
In 2025, 257 girls and 52 boys in the US were named Akira.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #983
- 257 babies, 160 per million girls
- Best rank
- #707 in 2008
- 424 babies that year
- Babies since 1973
- At least 7,817
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 3 per million |
| 1980s | 17 per million |
| 1990s | 53 per million |
| 2000s | 142 per million |
| 2010s | 144 per million |
| 2020s | 142 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,014 | #1,030 | #1,135 | #1,145 | #1,152 | #1,191 | #1,259 | #1,018 | #952 | #983 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #2,539
- 52 babies, 30 per million boys
- Best rank
- #938 in 1927
- 54 babies that year
- Babies since 1913
- At least 2,020
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 18 per million |
| 1920s | 31 per million |
| 1930s | 11 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 1 per million |
| 1970s | 3 per million |
| 1980s | 9 per million |
| 1990s | 12 per million |
| 2000s | 18 per million |
| 2010s | 17 per million |
| 2020s | 28 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,202 | #4,108 | #2,711 | #3,641 | #2,689 | #2,864 | #2,830 | #2,660 | #2,504 | #2,539 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Akira
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- AkioBright man (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- AkitoBright person (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
Names spelled like Akira
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- AkivaFrom Yaakov, holder of the heel (Aramaic, boy)
- AmiraPrincess, leader (Arabic, girl)
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- AlidaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AmaraGrace (Igbo, girl)
- AminaSafe, secure; also trustworthy, faithful (Arabic, girl)
- AmirPrince, commander (Arabic, boy)
- AbirScent or fragrance (Arabic, girl)
- AdinaSlender, delicate (Hebrew, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- RobertBright fame (Germanic, boy)
- ClaraClear, bright (Latin, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
- LambertBright land (Germanic, boy)
- MurielBright sea (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- RobertaBright fame (Germanic, girl)
- AlbertNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertoNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- HubertBright heart (Germanic, boy)
- RobertoBright fame (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Akira
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More names from Japanese
- AiLove; indigo (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- KaiSea (Japanese, boy)
- AikoBeloved child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AimiLove and beauty, written 愛美 (Japanese, girl)
- AkaneDeep red, madder (Japanese, girl)
- AkariLamplight (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AkemiBright beauty (Japanese, girl)
- AkiSecond and hope, written 亜希 (Japanese, girl)
- AkihikoBright prince (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AkihiroBright and wide (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
Akira: common questions
What does the name Akira mean?
Akira comes from Japanese and means "bright, clear (depends on characters)".
Is Akira a boy or girl name?
Akira is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 257 girls and 52 boys in the US were named Akira, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Akira come from?
Akira comes from Japanese and means "bright, clear (depends on characters)". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you pronounce Akira?
Say ah-KEE-rah. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How do you write Akira in Japanese?
Akira is written あきら in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 明 (bright), 昭 (shining) and 晃 (clear). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Akira?
Akira ranked #983 in the US in 2025, with 257 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Akira?
Forms of Akira with the same meaning and origin include Akio (Japanese) and Akito (Japanese).
What middle names go with Akira?
Middle names that flow well with Akira include Constance, Forest, Naomi, Patrick and Peter. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.