Girl name · Japanese
Ayame
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: irisAyame is a girl's name that comes from Japanese and means "iris". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Iris
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- ah-YAH-meh
Meaning and origin of Ayame
As a girl's name, Ayame comes from Japanese and means "iris". It is used in Japanese.
Say it ah-YAH-meh. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Ayame in Japanese
In hiragana, Ayame is あやめ. Below is a kanji spelling used for the name, with what each kanji means. Parents can choose other kanji, and each choice gives the name its own meaning.
| Kanji | Reading | What the kanji mean |
|---|---|---|
| 菖蒲 | あやめ | 菖 iris + 蒲 bulrushA special reading: the kanji are read as a whole. |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Ayame on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Ayame on 3 lists.
“菖蒲: iris. Say ah-yah-meh”
From Anime girl names, anime girl names that mean flower
“Iris flower (depends on characters); Japanese 菖蒲. Say ah-YAH-meh”
From Flower names for girls, japanese flower names
“Iris, the purple flower of early summer.”
From Japanese girl names, japanese flower names for girls
How popular is Ayame?
- US rank in 2025
- #7,538
- 14 babies, 9 per million girls
- Best rank
- #4,439 in 1920
- Most babies: 19 in 2006
- Babies since 1918
- At least 333
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 1 per million |
| 1920s | 1 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 0 per million |
| 1980s | 0 per million |
| 1990s | 0 per million |
| 2000s | 7 per million |
| 2010s | 7 per million |
| 2020s | 7 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,941 | #8,867 | #14,032 | #8,199 | #9,649 | #10,405 | #9,142 | #10,428 | #8,031 | #7,538 |
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.
Names spelled like Ayame
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- AyanePatterned silk and sound (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AgamLake (Hebrew, unisex)
- AkaneDeep red, madder (Japanese, girl)
- AmaneHeavenly sound (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- AramRipe chestnuts, a native Korean word (Korean, girl)
- AsabeBorn on Saturday (Hausa, girl)
- AsamiMorning beauty (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AyaColor (Japanese, girl)
- AyaanLuck, good fortune (Somali, girl)
Middle names for Ayame
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- DahliaFlower named for botanist Anders Dahl (Swedish, girl)
- FelicityHappiness, good fortune (Latin, girl)
- GabrielleGod is my strength (Hebrew, girl)
- LydiaWoman from Lydia (Greek, girl)
- PrimroseFirst rose (Latin, girl)
- PrudenceForesight, good sense (Latin, girl)
- StellaA star (Latin, girl)
- VioletViolet flower (Latin, girl)
More girl names from Japanese
- AiLove; indigo (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AikoBeloved child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AimiLove and beauty, written 愛美 (Japanese, girl)
- AkariLamplight (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AkemiBright beauty (Japanese, girl)
- AkiSecond and hope, written 亜希 (Japanese, girl)
- AkikoBright child; autumn child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AkiraBright, clear (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- AnApricot (Japanese, girl)
- AoiHollyhock; blue (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
Ayame: common questions
What does the name Ayame mean?
Ayame comes from Japanese and means "iris".
Is Ayame a boy or girl name?
Ayame is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Ayame come from?
Ayame comes from Japanese and means "iris". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you pronounce Ayame?
Say ah-YAH-meh. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How do you write Ayame in Japanese?
Ayame is written あやめ in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 菖蒲 (a special reading). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Ayame?
Ayame ranked #7,538 in the US in 2025, with 14 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Ayame?
Names spelled like Ayame include Ayane, Agam, Akane, Amane and Aram.
What middle names go with Ayame?
Middle names that flow well with Ayame include Dahlia, Felicity, Gabrielle, Lydia and Primrose. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.