Girl name · Japanese
Sakura
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: cherry blossomSakura is a girl's name that comes from Japanese and means "cherry blossom". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Cherry blossom
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- SAH-koo-rah
Meaning and origin of Sakura
As a girl's name, Sakura comes from Japanese and means "cherry blossom". It is used in Japanese.
Say it SAH-koo-rah. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Its meaning puts Sakura 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 Sakura in Japanese
In hiragana, Sakura is さくら. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 桜 | さくら | 桜 cherry blossom |
| 咲良 | さくら | 咲 blossom, bloom + 良 good, pleasing |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Sakura on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Sakura on 5 lists.
“桜: cherry blossom. Japan's spring icon”
From Anime girl names, anime girl names that mean flower
“Cherry blossom (桜); Japanese. Often written in hiragana”
From Flower names for girls, japanese flower names
“Cherry blossom, the flower of Japanese spring.”
From Japanese girl names, japanese flower names for girls
“Japanese for cherry blossom, soft pink and pretty”
From Axolotl names, pink axolotl names
“Cherry blossom; Japanese, written 桜. Say SAH-koo-rah”
From Unique girl names, unique female names from the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific
How popular is Sakura?
- US rank in 2025
- #2,925
- 58 babies, 36 per million girls
- Best rank
- #2,186 in 2012
- 87 babies that year
- Babies since 1970
- At least 1,783
- 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 | 1 per million |
| 1980s | 2 per million |
| 1990s | 6 per million |
| 2000s | 32 per million |
| 2010s | 40 per million |
| 2020s | 33 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,859 | #2,593 | #2,836 | #2,812 | #3,056 | #2,921 | #3,209 | #3,419 | #3,006 | #2,925 |
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 Sakura
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- SakurakoCherry blossom child (Japanese, girl)
Names spelled like Sakura
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
Names with a similar meaning
- FloraFlower, blossom (Latin, girl)
- AntheaFlower, blossom (Greek, girl)
- ThaliaTo blossom (Greek, girl)
- EmaBlossom and jasmine (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- FlòraidhFlower, blossom (Latin, girl)
- KirazCherry (Turkish, girl)
- LehuaBlossom of the ʻōhiʻa tree (Hawaiian, girl)
- MeiBeautiful; plum blossom (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
- MisakiBeautiful blossom (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- MomokaPeach blossom (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
Middle names for Sakura
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)
Sakura: common questions
What does the name Sakura mean?
Sakura comes from Japanese and means "cherry blossom".
Is Sakura a boy or girl name?
Sakura is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Sakura come from?
Sakura comes from Japanese and means "cherry blossom". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you pronounce Sakura?
Say SAH-koo-rah. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How do you write Sakura in Japanese?
Sakura is written さくら in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 桜 (cherry blossom) and 咲良 (blossom + good). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Sakura?
Sakura ranked #2,925 in the US in 2025, with 58 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Sakura?
Forms of Sakura with the same meaning and origin include Sakurako (Japanese).
What middle names go with Sakura?
Middle names that flow well with Sakura include Daisy, Dawn, Hazel, Holly and Joy. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.