Unisex name · Japanese
Haru
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: sun; spring (depends on characters)Haru is a gender-neutral name that comes from Japanese and means "sun; spring (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Sun; spring (depends on characters)
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #7618 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Haru
As a gender-neutral name, Haru comes from Japanese and means "sun; spring (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
Its meaning puts Haru on our names that mean sun list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Haru in Japanese
In hiragana, Haru is はる. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 春 | はる | 春 spring |
| 陽 | はる | 陽 sun, sunshine |
| 治 | はる | 治 govern, peace |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Haru on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Haru on 3 lists.
“春: spring. Short and sunny”
From Anime girl names, unisex Japanese names anime gives to girls
“Sun, sunshine; also 春, spring. Used for both genders.”
From Japanese boy names, japanese boy names from nature
“Sun, light, written 陽; Japanese, also spring when written 春”
From Names that mean sun, unisex names that mean sun
How popular is Haru?
In 2025, 14 girls and 29 boys in the US were named Haru.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #7,618
- 14 babies, 9 per million girls
- Best rank
- #3,865 in 1914
- Most babies: 19 in 2023
- Babies since 1914
- At least 191
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 2 per million |
| 1920s | 2 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 | 0 per million |
| 2010s | 3 per million |
| 2020s | 9 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,151 | #11,031 | – | #7,882 | #7,704 | #8,678 | #7,094 | #6,257 | #6,750 | #7,618 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #3,794
- 29 babies, 17 per million boys
- Best rank
- #3,794 in 2025
- 29 babies that year
- Babies since 2003
- At least 312
- 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 | 0 per million |
| 1980s | 0 per million |
| 1990s | 0 per million |
| 2000s | 2 per million |
| 2010s | 7 per million |
| 2020s | 14 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,149 | #4,809 | #6,145 | #5,414 | #4,918 | #4,415 | #3,927 | #3,930 | #4,943 | #3,794 |
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 Haru
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- HarukiSpring tree; shining sun (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- HaruoSpring man (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
Names spelled like Haru
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- HariTawny; a name of Vishnu (Sanskrit, boy)
- HansGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- HadiGuide, leader (Arabic, boy)
- HanaFlower in Japanese; one in Korean (Japanese and Korean, girl)
- HaeunSummer grace (depends on characters) (Korean, girl)
- HafSummer season (Welsh, girl)
- HaiThe sea (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- HajunSummer and talented (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- HalaHalo around the moon (Arabic, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- AftabSunshine, the sun (Persian, boy)
- BaharSpring, the season (Persian, girl)
- HeliodoraGift of the sun (Greek, girl)
- HeliodoroGift of the sun (Greek, boy)
- SamsonSun (Hebrew, boy)
- ShamsSun (Arabic, unisex)
- ShamsuddinSun of the faith (Arabic, boy)
- SolSun (Latin, girl)
- SoleilSun (French, girl)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
Middle names for Haru
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)
Haru: common questions
What does the name Haru mean?
Haru comes from Japanese and means "sun; spring (depends on characters)".
Is Haru a boy or girl name?
Haru is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 14 girls and 29 boys in the US were named Haru, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Haru come from?
Haru comes from Japanese and means "sun; spring (depends on characters)". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you write Haru in Japanese?
Haru is written はる in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 春 (spring), 陽 (sun) and 治 (govern). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Haru?
Haru ranked #7,618 in the US in 2025, with 14 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Haru?
Forms of Haru with the same meaning and origin include Haruki (Japanese) and Haruo (Japanese).
What middle names go with Haru?
Middle names that flow well with Haru include Dennis, Elizabeth, Fenella, Isaac and Leander. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.