Unisex name · Japanese
Nozomi
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: hope, wish (depends on characters)Nozomi is a gender-neutral name that comes from Japanese and means "hope, wish (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Hope, wish (depends on characters)
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #14470 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Nozomi
As a girl's name, Nozomi comes from Japanese and means "hope, wish (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
As a gender-neutral name, Nozomi comes from Japanese and means "hope, wish". It is used in Japanese.
Its meaning puts Nozomi on our names that mean hope list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Nozomi in Japanese
In hiragana, Nozomi is のぞみ. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 望 | のぞみ | 望 hope, full moon |
| 希 | のぞみ | 希 hope, rare |
| 希美 | のぞみ | 希 hope, rare + 美 beauty, beautiful |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Nozomi on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Nozomi on 3 lists.
“希: hope. Optimistic and bright”
From Anime girl names, anime girl names that mean hope, love and luck
“Hope, wish; also written 望.”
From Japanese girl names, japanese girl names meaning love, hope and kindness
“Hope, wish, written 希 or 望; Japanese”
From Names that mean hope, unisex names that mean hope
How popular is Nozomi?
- US rank in 2025
- #14,470
- 6 babies, 4 per million girls
- Best rank
- #9,387 in 1989
- Most babies: 10 in 2021
- Babies since 1988
- At least 143
- 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 | 1 per million |
| 1990s | 1 per million |
| 2000s | 2 per million |
| 2010s | 2 per million |
| 2020s | 4 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #18,151 | #13,733 | – | – | #16,885 | #10,118 | #14,838 | #14,704 | #11,882 | #14,470 |
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 Nozomi
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- NozomuTo hope or wish (Japanese, boy)
Names spelled like Nozomi
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- NaomiPleasantness, sweetness (Hebrew, girl)
- NoemiPleasantness, sweetness (Hebrew, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- NadiaHope (Slavic, girl)
- NadineHope (Russian, girl)
- ElpidioHope (Greek, boy)
- TamannaWish, desire (Arabic, girl)
- AbhilashDesire, wish (Sanskrit, boy)
- AbhilashaDesire, wish (Sanskrit, girl)
- AkankshaWish, aspiration (Sanskrit, girl)
- AkiSecond and hope, written 亜希 (Japanese, girl)
- AmalHope, aspiration (Arabic, unisex)
- ArezooWish, desire (Persian, girl)
Middle names for Nozomi
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter 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)
- AkihikoBright prince (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AkihiroBright and wide (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- AkikoBright child; autumn child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
Nozomi: common questions
What does the name Nozomi mean?
Nozomi comes from Japanese and means "hope, wish (depends on characters)". It also has another origin: "hope, wish" from Japanese.
Is Nozomi a boy or girl name?
Nozomi is used for both boys and girls.
Where does the name Nozomi come from?
Nozomi comes from Japanese and means "hope, wish (depends on characters)". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you write Nozomi in Japanese?
Nozomi is written のぞみ in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 望 (hope), 希 (hope) and 希美 (hope + beauty). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Nozomi?
Nozomi ranked #14,470 in the US in 2025, with 6 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Nozomi?
Forms of Nozomi with the same meaning and origin include Nozomu (Japanese).
What middle names go with Nozomi?
Middle names that flow well with Nozomi include Ethan, Ivy, Joy, Lark and Leo. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.