Nickname help!
We want to name our baby Penelope but we can’t decide on a nickname? Help!
Anime baby names are full of spirit, meaning, and sweet sounds.
Whether you’re a diehard fan or a casual dabbler, anime baby names offer a world of inspiration.
If you’re new to the world of anime, here’s a quick intro.
In Japan, anime (short for “animation”) refers to any animated movie or TV show.
Globally, the term “anime” applies to a specific style of Japanese animation. Think Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z.
Known for its distinctive aesthetic, anime covers a broad range of subject matter, from crime drama sci-fi to rom-coms to the action-packed fun of Pokemon.
One thing that binds them all? Cool characters.
Anime character names provide a perfect combo of flair, fun, and fabulousness.
They’re creative, thoughtful, and filled with energy.
The anime market is only growing in global popularity, with market size expected to reach $48.3 billion by 2030.
Yep, if this is where you’re starting your baby name search, you’re in good company.
Choose from our list of cute anime girl names and adorable anime boy names—and feel to mix and match all over the gender spectrum.
In this article 📝
- What is a cool anime name?
- What’s a good anime girl name?
- What is an anime boy name?
- What are long anime names?
- What is the most famous anime name?
What is a cool anime name?
Let’s begin with the top 5 most popular anime characters’ names.
These are some of the most cool anime names you’ll find, and they’re pretty popular in Japan and beyond:
- Hiroshi: This name means “generous” and is borne by renowned voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya.
- Michiko: A name for a “beautiful wise child,” Michiko Malandro is one of the powerful protagonists from Michiko & Hatchin.
- Sakura: A name from the popular Naruto series, this gorgeous name means “cherry blossom.” 🌸
- Takashi: A noble name meaning “esteem” and “honor,” Takashi Komuro is the protagonist in Highschool of the Dead.
- Yuri: This popular Japanese name means “lily” and belongs to a host of anime characters. One of our favorites? Angel Beats.
What anime name means love?
These are the perfect cute anime names to show your little one how much you care:
- Aiko: Meaning “love child”, from Renkin 3-kyū Magical.
- Aina: Meaning “love” or “affection”, from Promare.
- Manami: Meaning “love” or “beauty”, from Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!.
- Megumi: This one means “blessing,” “love”, and “affection.”, after the character in Jujutsu Kaisen.
What is beautiful name in anime?
There are a few unique anime names that mean “beautiful”, so take your pick:
- Aya: This cute name has a variety of meanings— “colorful,” “beautiful,” and “design.” It’s a popular choice for anime characters, appearing in Kiniro Mosaic and Tenjou Tenge.
- Kushina: After the Japanese for “beautiful jet stone”, Kushi is a character from the beloved series Naruto.
- Mikasa: Meaning “beautiful blossoming flower, after the character from Attack on Titan.
- Miyako: Meaning “beautiful night” – a poetic anime name from Tenshi ga Maiorita!.
- Rei: A sweet name meaning “beautiful” and “lovely”, from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
What’s a good anime girl name?
What are cute anime names for girls?
Here are our best-loved anime girl names:
- Akane: Meaning “deep red”, from Psycho-Pass.
- Asuka: From the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, Asuka Langley Soryu is a powerhouse. Her name means “perfume of tomorrow.”
- Chiyoko: Meaning “a thousand generations,” this ever-popular name appears in a host of anime products, such as Sennen Joyuu.
- Chouko: This one’s just adorable. From My Hero Academia, it means “butterfly child.” 🦋
- Hana: A name that crosses geographical boundaries, Hana is a character from Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!, with the Japanese version of the name meaning “flower.” 💮
- Hikari: Meaning “light”, from Hikari No Densetsu.
- Hinata: A beautifully bright name meaning “sunny place”, from Naruto. ☀️
- Hitomi: Meaning “pupil of the eye,” it is made up of the symbols for “wisdom” and “beauty”. Hitomi is the main character in Iroduku: The World in Colors.
- Kamiko: Meaning “little goddess”, from Nichijou.
- Kaori: This name is a combination of “scent” and “weave”, from the anime Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso. Put together, it can mean “perfume.”
- Keiko: Meaning “blessed child”, from YuYu Hakusho.
- Kyoko: This name has multiple meanings— ”respectful,” “of today,” “apricot” and “mirror”, from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
- Maiko: If you think your baby might have some sweet feet, this Japanese meaning is “child of the dance.” Maiko is a character from the anime Sunohara-caretaker.
- Mayu: A principal character in the Elfen Lied series, Mayu’s name means “true,” “gentle,” “superior” and “evening.”
- Momoe: This name, meaning “a hundred blessings,” is filled with gratitude. Plus, for fans of Wonder Egg Priority, this sweet name will be a real catch.
- Saki: Meaning “blossom” or “hope.” Plus, there’s a manga series called Saki, named after its lead character. 🌼
- Shizuka: This name is a combination of “quiet” and “fragrance”, from the anime Doraemon.
What are anime girl names with dark meanings?
And then if you’re looking for an anime girl’s name with a touch of darkness, how about these top anime baby names:
- Haruka: While it can also have connotations of “spring” and “flowers,” this name means “distant.” Haruka is a character from the anime series Free!.
- Kyubey: Yep, this is that little red-eyed creature from The Puella Magi. This name may simply be short for “incubator.”
- Medusa: From the series Soul Eater (and of course from Greek mythology), Medusa is a character who has snakes for hair. 🐍 Can’t get much darker than this one.
- Rin: Meaning “severe” and “cold,” this name is popular across the gender spectrum, and is most well known as an anime character name from the series Blue Exorcist.
- Shinobu: This powerful name is the Japanese word for “to recall” and “endurance”, from the anime series Bakemongatari.
More anime names for girls
And here are some bonus anime baby girl names for you to explore:
- Aimi: Meaning “beautiful love”, the name of the singer/voice actor who plays Julia in The Idolmaster Million Live!.
- Aoi: Meaning “hollyhock flowers”, from Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi.
- Ayako: Meaning “color” or “design”, from Slam Dunk.
- Eri: Meaning “blessing” or “reason”, from My Hero Academia.
- Faye: Meaning “fairy”, from Cowboy Bebop.
- Kaede: Meaning “maple tree”, from Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai.
- Kiko: Meaning “hope”, from Darker Than Black.
- Kumiko: Meaning “forever beauty child”, from Sound! Euphonium.
- Maki: Meaning “true”, from Jujutsu Kaisen.
- Mami: Meaning “real” or “beautiful”, from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
- Noriko: Meaning “law, order”, from Kiznaiver.
- Toru: Meaning “persistent” or “clear”, from My Hero Academia.
- Umeko: Meaning “plum tree” or “child”, from Inō Battle wa Nichijō-kei no Naka de.
You might be interested in: 93 Anime Girl Names
What is an anime boy name?
Now for the boys!
Here are some strong and unique anime names for your baby boy:
- Ayumu: Meaning “walk” and “dream or vision,” Ayumu is a popular Japanese name. It’s also the name of the protagonist in Is This a Zombie?
- Hayate: From Hayate the Combat Butler, this name means “smooth”.
- Hiroto: This powerful name means “greatness” and “to soar.” Hiroto Suwa is one of the main characters in Naho’s.
- Katsu: With the meaning of “victorious,” it’s no wonder Katsu is the protagonist in Two Souls.
- Kei: This fun name is popular in many cultures. In Japanese, it means “jewel” or “blessing”, and is an anime name from the series Gantz.
- Masashi: A name belonging to the famous manga artist Masashi Kishimoto, it means “commander” or ”ambition.”
- Natsu: Natsu “Salamander” Dragneel is the protagonist from Fairy Tail. His name means “born in summer.”
- Noburu: The name of many anime characters, Noboru is the protagonist in Great Teacher.
- Osamu: A name meaning “discipline,” Osamu is a character in Bungo Stray Dogs.
- Toshiro: With his name meaning “talented” and “bright,” Toshiro is a character in the series Bleach.
- Tsubasa: Meaning “wings”, also the name of the protagonist in the anime series Captain Tsubasa.
- Yuki: A popular Japanese name used for both male and female characters, Yuki means both “happiness” and “snow.” One of our favorite bearers of this name? Yuki Sohma from Fruit Baskets.
What are anime boy names with dark meanings?
If you’re looking for something on the other end of the spectrum, here is our selection of anime baby names for boys with a more dark edge:
- Akatsuki: The name of the powerful criminal organization in Naruto, Akatsuki refers to the red moon of daybreak. 🎴
- Akui: From the anime series Naruto. This one means “malicious.” That’s pretty dark.
- Akuma” Meaning “devil”, Akuma is a character in the Street Fighter series ‒ while not technically an anime series, it has inspired some pretty awesome manga.
- Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh is the character from the oldest written story in the world and a key player in the Fate series.
- Ichigo: The popular protagonist from Bleach, Ichigo means “strawberry.” 🍓
- Itachi: This name is a great option for lovers of Naruto. It means “weasel.”
- Lelouch: A complex villain from Code Geass.
- Nikushimi: Meaning “hatred”, from the popular anime series Naruto.
- Raiden: “Lightning and thunder”, from the Sakigake!! Otokojuku series. ⚡
- Satsujin: Certainly one of the darkest anime names on our list, Satsujin means “murder”, and is most well-known from the anime series Akudama Drive.
- Shi: Meaning “death”, from the Kingdom anime series.
- Titan: He’s a beast.
- Yami: This name literally means “dark”, recognizable as “Dark Yugi” from the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series.
- Yokai: A ghostly name meaning “strange apparition”, from lots of anime series ‒ usually, Yokai is the general name given to supernatural beings in Japanese anime.
- Zankoku: This dark name means “cruel”, from the popular Naruto anime series.
More anime names for boys
And finally, some bonus anime baby boy names:
- Akio: Meaning “bright” or “clear”, from *Clannad”.
- Asahi: Meaning “morning” or “sunlight”, from Shichisei no Subaru.
- Astro: Pronounced “asu-toro”, a Japanese version of the starry name, from the retro anime series, Astro Boy.
- Dai: Meaning generation, from Dragon Quest.
- Haruo: Meaning “sunshine”, from Hi Score Girl.
- Isamu: Meaning “courageous”, from Hajime no Ippo.
- Jiraya: Meaning “young thunder”, from Naruto.
- Kouki: Meaning “light” or “happiness”, from Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou.
- Makoto: Meaning “sincerity” or “truth”, from Great Pretender.
- Michi: Meaning “righteous path”, from Kemono Michi.
- Naruto: Meaning “roaring gate”, from the ever-popular Naruto series.
- Noboru: Meaning “rise”, from Sound! Euphonium.
- Ryoichi: Meaning “good” or “clear”, from Detective Conan.
- Ryuu: Meaning “dragon”, from Ninja Gaiden.
- Seiji: Meaning “lawful” or “just”, from Renai Bōkun.
- Tanjiro: Meaning “second son”, from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
- Yahiko: Meaning “progress”, from Naruto.
- Yasu: Meaning “calm”, from Nana.
- Yuichi: Meaning “kind one”, from Kanon.
You might be interested in: 84 Anime Names for Boys
What are long anime names?
Now for some truly unique anime names ‒ these are longer than most anime baby names, so you probably won’t hear these in the playground!
- Daisuke: One of the main characters from Fuguo Keiki Balance: Unlimited, his name means “great” and “to assist.”
- Hideaki: A name with a range of meanings, Hideaki means “autumn,” “outstanding,” and “bright”, from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
- Masuyo: Meaning “benefit” or “world”, from Kill la Kill.
- Michiaki: Meaning “path” or “way”, from Grisaia no Kajitsu.
- Okasaki: Meaning “hill cape”, from Clannad.
- Sachiko: Meaning “child of bliss”, from Corpse Party.
- Shikamaru: Meaning “deer-like”, from Naruto. 🦌
What is the most famous anime name?
It’s tough to pick just one, but one of the most popular Japanese anime series has to be Dragon Ball, and there’s one baby name that you might be surprised is pretty popular:
- Goku. Meaning “aware of emptiness”, after the main character of the Dragon Ball franchise.
There you have it – over 100 of the best anime baby names for you to choose from!
Need some help with your choice?
Why not ask our mamas-to-be on Peanut for a second opinion?
You may even find your Bump Buddy!