200+ Anime-Inspired Names to Choose From

Anime names are full of variety, life, and wisdom, and there’s something for everyone to choose. With the variety of names to choose from, you may start to feel overwhelmed when you’re looking for anime names for your children or original characters. You’ve landed in the right place, then, as we give you a list of over 200 anime names to choose for boys and girls. We even explain how anime names are chosen, how to choose your own anime name, and more!

Best Anime Names

For boys: Akira, Baki, Dai, Ichigo
For girls: Asami, Eri, Kaori, Rika
Gender-neutral: Megumi, Kira, Yuki

Section 1 of 8:

Popular Anime Names for Boys

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Pick one of these wise, inspiring anime names for your baby boy. Many names in anime have wise, powerful meanings, like Daiki (which means big and shining) and Isamu (which means courage). If you’re stumped on a name and need a little bit of help choosing one, try these out:
- Akane
- Akira
- Alphonse
- Arata
- Ash
- Aoi
- Baki
- Benjiro
- Cashe
- Chibi
- Dai
- Dabi
- Dante
- Eren
- Elric
- Fumio
- Gin
- Gohan
- Gon
- Haruki
- Hiroshi
- Ichigo
- Inuyasha
- Ito
- Izuku
- Jiraiya
- Jiro
- Kaito
- Ken
- Kenta
- Kenshiro
- Kisuke
- Kira
- Kuro
- Kota
- Makoto
- Masashi
- Michi
- Minato
- Osamu
- Raiden
- Satoru
- Sai
- Shiro
- Shoto
- Shun
- Takashi
- Toshiro
- Wataru
- Yasu

Section 2 of 8:

Popular Anime Names for Girls

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Pick one of these cute anime-inspired names for your baby girl. There are plenty of cute, fun Japanese anime-inspired names you can pick for your baby girl (or female anime character). Name consultant Sonya Prior suggests going with something like Sakura, Naomi, Hana, and Akari.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Sonya Prior
Name Consultant

Expert Interview} Other names to choose from include:
- Ai
- Aimi
- Aiko
- Akane
- Akeno
- Aletta
- Anju
- Aoba
- Asuka
- Ari
- Arata
- Asami
- Aya
- Ayano
- Boa
- Balalaika
- Chiaki
- Chiharu
- Chika
- Chiyo
- Choouko
- Daisuke
- Daiki
- Emi
- Emiko
- Eri
- Faye
- Fujiko
- Fumiko
- Fuko
- Hana
- Hannya
- Hideko
- Himiko
- Hinato
- Ino
- Kaori
- Konan
- Lucy
- Mei
- Megumi
- Maki
- Mizuki
- Nami
- Nel
- Rika
- Rin
- Tsumiki
- Yuki

Section 3 of 8:

Gender-Neutral Anime Names

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Use one of these names if you need something a little more neutral. The good thing about anime names is that plenty of them are gender neutral. You aren’t limited to boy and girl names, in fact, you can choose any of these:
- Ren
- Makoto
- Rei
- Hiraku
- Tsubasa
- Kaoru
- Enkai
- Harue
- Kin
- Kiyoshi
- Kohaku
- Kozue
- Kyo
- Kumi
- Maro
- Mitsu
- Ren
- Saku
- Shinobu
- Tomi
- Yu

Section 4 of 8:

Unique Anime Names

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Try one of these names if you’re looking for something more personal. Finding an anime-inspired name that’s personal and not commonly used isn’t hard, especially when you’ve got a list of names to choose from. Whether you’re picking a name for your little bundle of joys or original characters, we’ve got something for you to choose from:
- Boy names:
  - Archer
  - Bardock
  - Broly
  - Bakugo
  - Cabba
  - Chizuki
  - Dio
  - Ezra
  - Fritz
  - Gaara
  - Ginjo
  - Genya
  - Hidan
  - Hakari
  - Itachi
  - Jin
  - Kei
  - Keigo
  - Lelouch
  - Light
  - Muzan
  - Obito
  - Rio
  - Ryu
  - Sasuke
  - Todo
  - Yuji
  - Yuta
- Girl names:
  - Arale
  - Asuna
  - Azula
  - Botan
  - Bulma
  - Chizuko
  - Dhianeila
  - Erio
  - Fumika
  - Honnari
  - Historia
  - Hiromi
  - Kaede
  - Kanaka
  - Kyoko
  - Nagi
  - Nami
  - Nobara
  - Mai
  - Mariko
  - Nagi
  - Nao
  - Nobu
  - Orihime
  - Ritsuko
  - Temari
  - Tenten
  - Tsunade
  - Yoko
  - Ymir
  - Yoruichi

Section 5 of 8:

Cool Anime Names

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Pick one of these names if you want to have the coolest kid on the block. Some anime names just roll off the tongue and naturally imbue your child (or original character) with aura. So when you’re trying to make sure your child turns out cool, pick one of these anime names:^{[2]
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- Boy names:
  - Aki
  - Akihiro
  - Bee
  - Darui
  - Denji
  - Deidara
  - Enjin
  - Erwin
  - Hajime
  - Haruto
  - Hikaru
  - Haru
  - Jiro
  - Kabuto
  - Kaneda
  - Levi
  - Masaki
  - Mirio
  - Nanami
  - Rudo
  - Ryo
  - Sato
  - Tanjiro
  - Toji
  - Yami
  - Placeholder
  - Zabuza
- Girl names:
  - Aina
  - Alisa
  - Ari
  - Ayumu
  - Chinatsu
  - Etsuko
  - Galaxia
  - Hange
  - Hikari
  - Himeko
  - Kimiko
  - Kamiko
  - Kasami
  - Lina
  - Mami
  - Miyako
  - Noriko
  - Popura
  - Sasha
  - Saki
  - Shizuka
  - Soi Fon
  - Sora
  - Suki
  - Suzume
  - Tora
  - Usagi
  - Yakumo
  - Yumi

Section 6 of 8:

How Anime Names Are Chosen

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1
Some creators base character names off of foods. Dragon Ball Z is most famous for using this naming technique. Creator Akira Toriyama was notorious for giving food-related names to his characters. He named the Saiyan race after the Japanese word for vegetable (yasai), flipping it to Saiya-jin (vegetable people) and giving its members vegetable-specific names, names Frieza after freezers, and more:^{[3]
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- Saiyans:
  - Kakarot (Goku) refers to carrots.
  - Vegeta refers to vegetables.
  - Broly refers to broccoli.
  - Raditz refers to radish.
  - Nappa is a type of cabbage.
  - Bardock refers to the burdock root.
- Frieza’s Family:
  - Frieza refers to a freezer.
  - Cooler refers to a cooler.
  - King Cold is the king of the cold family (self-explanatory).
- The Ginyu Force:
  - Ginyu refers to the Japanese word for milk, “gyunyu.”
  - Jeice refers to cheese.
  - Burter refers to butter.
  - Guldo refers to “gurt,” which is short for “yogurt.”
  - Recoome is a type of scrambled cream.
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Other creators base their names off of colors. This is a super common naming technique in anime. It’s been seen with characters like Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, who was named after the Japanese word for strawberry due to his strawberry-orange hair, and Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia, whose last name means green valley (and whose color scheme is green). Other examples of this in action include:^{[4]
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- Generation of Miracles Players in Kuroko’s Basketball:
  - Satsuki Momoi’s last name means pink.
  - The aka in Seijuro Akashi’s last name means red.
  - The ao in Daiki Aomine’s last name means blue.
  - The murasaki in Atsusi Murasakibara’s last name means purple.
  - The midori in Shintaro Midorima’s last name means green.
  - The ki in Ryota Kise’s last name means yellow.
  - The kuro in Tetsuya Kuroko’s last name means black.
- Team RWBY from RWBY:^{[5]
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  - Ruby Rose is named after the red ruby gem and the red rose flower.
  - Weiss Schnee is named after the German word for white, “weiss.”
  - Blake Belladonna is named after the Old English word for black, “blake.”
  - Yang Xiao Long is named after the word for sun in Chinese, “yang,” which evokes the color yellow.
3
Some creators take inspiration from music. This is seen in anime like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, where the character and stand names are inspired by Western music genres. Every stand name is based off of a band or song, making for fun, unique conventions, such as:^{[6]
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- Characters:
  - Dio Brando is named after American singer Ronnie James Dio.
  - Robert E. O. Speedwagon is named after the rock band REO Speedwagon.
  - Will Anthonio Zeppeli is named after the rock band Led Zeppelin.
  - Dire & Straizo is named after British rock band Dire Straits.
- Stands:
  - Killer Queen is named after British rock band Queen.
  - Sticky Fingers is named after The Rolling Stones album of the same name.
  - Gold Experience is named after Prince’s album of the same name.
  - Soft Machine is named after the British rock band Soft Machine.
4
Creators often give characters names that match their personalities. Take Usopp from One Piece. When broken down, Uso means “something that is not true,” and Isoppu is the Japanese pronunciation of Aesop, a Greek storyteller who was known for his popular fables. These are references to Usopp’s tendency to tell exaggerated stories. Other examples of this include:
- Stalker Matoi Tsunetsuki from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s name is based off of the phrase “tsune ni tsukimatoi,” which means “always following around.”
- Shut-in Kiri Komori from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s name is based off of the word “hikikomori,” which is a Japanese term for extreme social withdrawal.

Section 7 of 8:

How to Choose an Anime Name

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Look for inspiration in your favorite anime and pick something fitting. When picking an anime name for your child, look for inspiration in your favorite characters and bank up a list of names so when your little bundle of joy arrives, you’ll have a list to choose from. When picking from that list, choose a name that matches your child.^{[7]
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- For example, if your child’s a loud crier, you may want to go with a loud character name like Luffy from One Piece or Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen.