Japanese Name Generator
Japanese names follow surname-first convention (Tanaka Hiroshi, not Hiroshi Tanaka). Given names carry kanji-dependent meanings - Akira "bright", Sakura "cherry blossom", Hiroshi "generous". Surnames are heavily place-of-origin compounds (Yamamoto "base of the mountain", Tanaka "in the rice field"). 95+ entries with etymological glosses.
Example output: Tanaka Hiroshi · Yamamoto Sakura · Saito Kaori · Sato Akira
Female Japanese Names
A curated selection from the female japanese pool, with documented meanings where the etymology is known. The generator above shuffles the full set.
Male Japanese Names
Male japanese given names drawn from the same curated pool, each carrying its meaning where one is documented.
Japanese Surnames
Family names to pair with any given name above. Surname origins (occupational, patronymic, locative) are noted where known.
How Japanese Names Work in Fiction
Japanese names run surname first (Tanaka Yuki), and the given name's meaning lives in its kanji, not its sound: the name read as Haruto can be written with characters meaning sun and soar, or spring and person, and the choice is part of the name. Feminine names historically favored the -ko suffix (child), Yoko, Keiko, though it has receded since the 1990s; masculine names often carry -rō, -ta, or -suke.
Address is a precision instrument: family name plus -san is neutral, given name alone is intimate, and a character switching between them is a relationship beat. Writers romanizing names should stay consistent about macrons (Yūki versus Yuki).
Frequently asked questions
›Why surname first in Japanese?
Traditional East Asian convention. Family identity precedes individual identity. The Japanese Foreign Ministry uses given-name-first when communicating in English; in Japanese contexts, surname-first is universal. Our generator preserves the traditional order.
›What does the wisteria pattern in surnames mean?
Many top Japanese surnames contain to (wisteria), the symbol of the Fujiwara clan: Saito "purified wisteria", Ito "this wisteria", Kato "increase wisteria", Sato "help wisteria". Indicates historical Fujiwara lineage or branch families.
›Can I get just first names?
Yes - switch to "First name" type. Note that Japanese given-name meanings depend on which kanji are used to write the name; we ship phonetic readings with common interpretations.