JapaneseNames.org (日本伝統姓名命名所) is an independent, free resource for exploring Japanese names: given names with their kanji, readings and meanings, common Japanese surnames, katakana spellings of English names, and the traditional Seimei Handan (姓名判断) stroke-count fortune.
It is built for parents, Japanese learners, writers, game and anime fans, and anyone curious about how Japanese names work.
What You Will Find Here
- A curated name list: 100 Japanese given names, each with kanji, hiragana, romaji, an English meaning, a cultural note and a character-by-character breakdown.
- Japanese surnames: common family names and historic clan names with their kanji, readings and origins.
- Names in Japanese: standard katakana spellings for 264 English names, plus optional creative kanji spellings (ateji).
- Tools: a name generator, a Seimei Handan calculator, a kanji stroke-order viewer and a calligraphy scroll maker.
Editorial Standards
- Given-name kanji are chosen from characters commonly used in Japanese names, and readings follow modern Hepburn romanization.
- Katakana spellings follow standard Japanese conventions for foreign names. Kanji spellings of English names (ateji) are creative and not official legal registrations.
- Stroke counts use modern Japanese character forms (新字体). Seimei Handan results are a cultural tradition shared for interest and entertainment, not a prediction.
How the Site Is Built
Every name is stored as structured data rather than prose: kanji, hiragana, romaji, gender usage, style, theme, era tags, an English meaning, a cultural note, and the meaning and stroke count of each individual character. The pages, the generator, the search by meaning and the exports all read from that one dataset, so a correction made once appears everywhere on the site.
The site is deliberately simple: no accounts, no paywall, and no personal data collected to use it. Everything runs in your browser.
Where the Facts Come From
- Popularity rankings: the annual baby-name survey published by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance, and the pet-name rankings published by the insurer Anicom.
- Surname frequencies: published national surname rankings for Japan.
- Naming law and history: Japan's Family Registration Act (戸籍法) and its enforcement regulations, which define the kanji permitted in given names, and the Meiji-era surname decrees of 1870 and 1875.
- Seimei Handan: the five-pillar method popularised in the early 20th century, applied exactly as described on our methodology page.
What This Site Is Not
It is not legal or registration advice. Japan's naming rules apply to Japanese family registers, and a foreign resident's name is handled by their local ward office. Seimei Handan is a cultural tradition presented for interest, not a prediction. Kanji spellings of foreign names (ateji) are creative, not official.
Corrections
Accuracy matters to us. If you spot a wrong reading, stroke count or meaning, email contact@japanesenames.org and we will review and correct it.