BoyClassic
Akira
Akira (あきら) is a Japanese name for boys. Its best-known spelling is 明, 明 bright. It was most popular in the past, reaching No. 1 in 1934.
あ · き · ら · あきら · アキラ
Ways to write Akira
The same sound can be written with different kanji, and each choice changes the meaning. These are the spellings that have appeared in Japan's yearly baby name rankings, most popular first.
明
明bright
Boy, best No. 1 (1933–1959)昭
昭bright, shining
Boy, best No. 2 (1927–1942)晃
晃clear, bright
Boys and girls, 237 notable people on Wikidata彰
彰clear, to honour
Boys and girls, 207 notable people on Wikidata晶
晶crystal, sparkle
Boys and girls, 70 notable people on Wikidata朗
朗clear, cheerful
Boy, 64 notable people on Wikidata彬
彬refined
Boys and girls, 36 notable people on Wikidata亮
亮clear, bright
Boy, 35 notable people on Wikidata旭
旭rising sun
Boys and girls, 28 notable people on Wikidata輝
輝to shine, radiance
Boys and girls, 28 notable people on Wikidata陽
陽sun, sunshine
Boys and girls, 27 notable people on Wikidata顕
顕to appear, clear
Boy, 24 notable people on Wikidata暁
暁dawn
Boys and girls, 19 notable people on Wikidata哲
哲wisdom, philosophy
Boy, 17 notable people on WikidataRarer spellings
These spellings of Akira appear in Japanese name records but are uncommon. Each uses a standard reading of its kanji.
亜喜良next + joy + goodBoy
亜希羅next + hope + thin silkGirl
亜輝羅next + to shine + thin silkGirl
亜煌next + to glitterGirl
亜綺羅next + beautiful + thin silkGirl
阿樹良(used for its sound + tree + goodGirl
愛輝羅love + to shine + thin silkGirl
愛煌love + to glitterGirl
Popularity in Japan
Where the most popular spelling of Akira has ranked among baby names each year. Its best year was 1934, at No. 1.
Show the numbers
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1959 | No. 7 |
| 1958 | No. 8 |
| 1957 | No. 8 |
| 1956 | No. 8 |
| 1953 | No. 10 |
| 1951 | No. 10 |
| 1950 | No. 7 |
| 1949 | No. 7 |
| 1948 | No. 6 |
| 1947 | No. 10 |
| 1946 | No. 10 |
| 1942 | No. 7 |
| 1934 | No. 1 |
| 1933 | No. 8 |
| 1929 | No. 9 |
| 1928 | No. 3 |
| 1927 | No. 2 |
Source: Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance yearly baby name survey. It covers the top 10 names each year from 1912 to 2003, and the top 100 names and top 50 readings from 2004.
Famous people named Akira
Akira Kurosawa 明Japanese filmmaker (1910–1998)
Akira Toriyama 鳥山 明Japanese manga artist and character designer (1955-2024)
Akira Yoshino 吉野 彰Japanese engineer and researcher (1948-), known as an inventor of lithium-ion battery
Akira Nishino 西野 朗Japanese association football player and manager
Akira Kaji 亮Japanese association football player
Akira Matsunaga 松永 行Japanese association football player (1914–1943)
From Wikidata: notable Japanese people with this given name.