Girl name · Japanese
Hanako
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: flower child (depends on characters)Hanako is a girl's name that comes from Japanese and means "flower child (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Flower child (depends on characters)
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #9688 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Hanako
As a girl's name, Hanako comes from Japanese and means "flower child (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
Its meaning puts Hanako on our names that mean flower list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Hanako in Japanese
In hiragana, Hanako is はなこ. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 花子 | はなこ | 花 flower + 子 child |
| 華子 | はなこ | 華 splendor, flower + 子 child |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Hanako on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Hanako on 3 lists.
“花子: flower child. A classic, though anime fans know Hanako-san, the school-toilet ghost”
From Anime girl names, anime girl names that mean flower
“Flower child (depends on characters); Japanese 花子”
From Flower names for girls, japanese flower names
“Flower child; a classic, storybook name.”
From Japanese girl names, classic Japanese girl names ending in -ko
How popular is Hanako?
- US rank in 2025
- #9,688
- 10 babies, 6 per million girls
- Best rank
- #2,076 in 1921
- 19 babies that year
- Babies since 1915
- At least 397
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 8 per million |
| 1920s | 11 per million |
| 1930s | 1 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 1 per million |
| 1980s | 0 per million |
| 1990s | 3 per million |
| 2000s | 4 per million |
| 2010s | 1 per million |
| 2020s | 3 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | – | – | #14,454 | #14,425 | #15,973 | – | #12,720 | – | #9,813 | #9,688 |
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 Hanako
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- HanaFlower in Japanese; one in Korean (Japanese and Korean, girl)
- HanaaBliss, happiness (Arabic, girl)
- HanaeFlower and blessing (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- HananMercy, tenderness (Arabic, girl)
- HarukoSpring child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- FloraFlower, blossom (Latin, girl)
- RosaRose flower (Latin, girl)
- LilyLily flower (English, girl)
- NarcisoNarcissus flower (Greek, boy)
- AntheaFlower, blossom (Greek, girl)
- FleurA flower (Latin, girl)
- FlorFlower (Latin, girl)
- IantheViolet flower (Greek, girl)
- LeilaniHeavenly flowers; royal child (Hawaiian, girl)
- LillyVariant of Lily, the flower (English, girl)
Middle names for Hanako
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
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)
- AkaneDeep red, madder (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)
- AmaneHeavenly sound (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
Hanako: common questions
What does the name Hanako mean?
Hanako comes from Japanese and means "flower child (depends on characters)".
Is Hanako a boy or girl name?
Hanako is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Hanako come from?
Hanako comes from Japanese and means "flower child (depends on characters)". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you write Hanako in Japanese?
Hanako is written はなこ in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 花子 (flower + child) and 華子 (splendor + child). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Hanako?
Hanako ranked #9,688 in the US in 2025, with 10 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Hanako?
Names spelled like Hanako include Hana, Hanaa, Hanae, Hanan and Haruko.
What middle names go with Hanako?
Middle names that flow well with Hanako include Bess, Eliza, Ione, Iris and Opal. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.