Japanese · girl
Akira
A gentle name climbing in the U.S. right now.
Meaning
Bright, clear, intelligent
Akira is a rare girl name with Japanese roots. In 2024, 272 newborns in the U.S. were given the name — ranking it #956 nationally, and it has been climbing in recent years. Its style leans modern — tags you can match against your partner's picks in the combiner.
About Japanese names
Japanese names are usually written in kanji, so a single sound can hold many possible meanings — parents choose the characters as carefully as the pronunciation. Nature imagery runs deep: cherry blossoms, snow, sky, rivers. The sounds are clean and even, with soft consonants and open vowels, which is why names like Hana, Kenji, and Yuki carry so easily into English.
Meaning and origin are editorial; U.S. popularity comes from Social Security Administration public files.
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