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Helpmy students almost a decade ago
in reply to a message by Lily
I've actually met very few Momokos... Perhaps a bunch of them just congregated where you are... Ai is more common now than it might have been in the 80s... Aiko is spotty, but around... as you said, strongly influenced by the princess... Though the number of ko names started going in swift decline some time in the 80s... When I taught jr. high around the turn of the century, ko names were rather sparse, but still there (kid would have been born in late 80s with the youngest born in '90. The 70s and 80s had lots of girls named Megumi.
Haruka was pretty common then too.
Had a neighbour named just Kana.
Miki and Mika were common for a few decades.
Yuko and Tomoko were common in the 70s (actually, Tomoko seems to span generations).
Sayaka was common in the late 80s.
Asuka, Saki, Daiki, Yuka, Yumi (was popular before that as well), Daichi, Azusa, Kazuki and Kazuya were quite common.
Lots of e and mi endings of names at that time.
Just plain Aya was excessively abundant in the late 80s birthing time.
I know 1 Ayano, but she wasn't 1 of my students. I think the no endings are a bit more common in the past decade... as are ri and na endings.
Hitomi seemed kinda popular among little girls around the turn of the century... and yes, Sakura started becoming quite popular and overused too. On an adult, it's kinda rare, but on little kids, abundant... same w/ Aoi.
Taiga (tie-ga) and Tomoya are pretty common now on little boys.
Kouhei (kohay), Takashi and Takeshi are among those not on this list that were also somewhat common around then).
Satoshi's a good standard as well.
Yuki for a girl and Yuuki for a boy were also quite common among my students.
I actually have met very few gals named Akane, considering its popularity.
Yes, the ryo and ryu pronunciations are unusual to the En. speaker's ear because y is NEVER a vowel in Jpns. (remember that as people butcher the prn. of places like Tokyo and Kyoto... makes me cringe to hear them said that way... the consonant cluster of ky is WAY easier to say than the consonant cluster of ry)
Here are the names from some of my classes:
Boys:
Akihiko
Akihiro
Akiteru
Asataro
Daichi (die-chee)
Daigo
Daiki 2
Eisuke (ay-skay)
Eito
Hideyuki (he-day-yu-kee)
Hikaru (can be on a girl or boy)
Hiroshi 3 (more common among old men, but still around)
Hirotoshi
Junya 2 (joonya)
Katsuki 2
Katsumitsu
Kazuhiro 2
Kazumitsu
Kazushige (kazusheegay)
Kazutaka
Kazuya 2
Keisuke (prn'd kay-skay)
Kosuke (ko-skay)
Kota 2
Masafumi
Masaki
Masaru
Masashi
Masataka
Mashio
Mikiya
Mitsumasu
Ryota
Ryotaro
Satoshi
Seigo (saygo)
Seiji (say-jee)
Shinji 2
Shingo
Shinpei (sheenpay)
Shogo
Shoji
Shoki
Shota
Taichi (tie-chee)
Takahiro 2
Takaya
Takeshi
Takuro
Tomoki
Tomonori 2
Toraji (rare, I suspect)
Toshiki
Tsukasa
Wataru
Yamato
Yoshihiro
Yoshimitsu
Yuuji
Yuuki 3
Yusuke 2 (yu-skay)
Girls:
Ai (I)
Akane
Ami (rhymes w/ Tammy)
Asuka (kinda common)
Aya
Ayaka
Azusa 2
Chihiro
Chiho
Eri 2
Eriko
Fumika
Futami (rare name)
Haruka 3
Haruna
Hiroe (Hero-eh)
Kaori (pretty common for some years... esp. then, but def. around for a few decades before as well)
Kayo
Kei (prn. Kay)
Kie (kee-eh)
Kokoro
Konomi (rare)
Kumiko
Kyoko (remember y is always a consonant in Jpns... more common name in previous generation)
Madoka
Mafuyu (rare)
Marino
Masumi
Miharu
Miho 2
Mika 2
Miki 3
Misa
Misato
Miwa
Miyuki
Mizuki (seems more popular among little kids now)
Nagisa (had a few of these)
Nami
Natsumi
Nozomi
Risa 2
Sachi 2
Saho
Saki 2
Sayaka 3
Shiho
Shiori (had a few of these... seemed kinda popular among some of the younger ones)
Shizuka
Shoko
Tae (ta-eh)
Yuka
Yuri 2
Yuriko
Yukari
Haruka was pretty common then too.
Had a neighbour named just Kana.
Miki and Mika were common for a few decades.
Yuko and Tomoko were common in the 70s (actually, Tomoko seems to span generations).
Sayaka was common in the late 80s.
Asuka, Saki, Daiki, Yuka, Yumi (was popular before that as well), Daichi, Azusa, Kazuki and Kazuya were quite common.
Lots of e and mi endings of names at that time.
Just plain Aya was excessively abundant in the late 80s birthing time.
I know 1 Ayano, but she wasn't 1 of my students. I think the no endings are a bit more common in the past decade... as are ri and na endings.
Hitomi seemed kinda popular among little girls around the turn of the century... and yes, Sakura started becoming quite popular and overused too. On an adult, it's kinda rare, but on little kids, abundant... same w/ Aoi.
Taiga (tie-ga) and Tomoya are pretty common now on little boys.
Kouhei (kohay), Takashi and Takeshi are among those not on this list that were also somewhat common around then).
Satoshi's a good standard as well.
Yuki for a girl and Yuuki for a boy were also quite common among my students.
I actually have met very few gals named Akane, considering its popularity.
Yes, the ryo and ryu pronunciations are unusual to the En. speaker's ear because y is NEVER a vowel in Jpns. (remember that as people butcher the prn. of places like Tokyo and Kyoto... makes me cringe to hear them said that way... the consonant cluster of ky is WAY easier to say than the consonant cluster of ry)
Here are the names from some of my classes:
Boys:
Akihiko
Akihiro
Akiteru
Asataro
Daichi (die-chee)
Daigo
Daiki 2
Eisuke (ay-skay)
Eito
Hideyuki (he-day-yu-kee)
Hikaru (can be on a girl or boy)
Hiroshi 3 (more common among old men, but still around)
Hirotoshi
Junya 2 (joonya)
Katsuki 2
Katsumitsu
Kazuhiro 2
Kazumitsu
Kazushige (kazusheegay)
Kazutaka
Kazuya 2
Keisuke (prn'd kay-skay)
Kosuke (ko-skay)
Kota 2
Masafumi
Masaki
Masaru
Masashi
Masataka
Mashio
Mikiya
Mitsumasu
Ryota
Ryotaro
Satoshi
Seigo (saygo)
Seiji (say-jee)
Shinji 2
Shingo
Shinpei (sheenpay)
Shogo
Shoji
Shoki
Shota
Taichi (tie-chee)
Takahiro 2
Takaya
Takeshi
Takuro
Tomoki
Tomonori 2
Toraji (rare, I suspect)
Toshiki
Tsukasa
Wataru
Yamato
Yoshihiro
Yoshimitsu
Yuuji
Yuuki 3
Yusuke 2 (yu-skay)
Girls:
Ai (I)
Akane
Ami (rhymes w/ Tammy)
Asuka (kinda common)
Aya
Ayaka
Azusa 2
Chihiro
Chiho
Eri 2
Eriko
Fumika
Futami (rare name)
Haruka 3
Haruna
Hiroe (Hero-eh)
Kaori (pretty common for some years... esp. then, but def. around for a few decades before as well)
Kayo
Kei (prn. Kay)
Kie (kee-eh)
Kokoro
Konomi (rare)
Kumiko
Kyoko (remember y is always a consonant in Jpns... more common name in previous generation)
Madoka
Mafuyu (rare)
Marino
Masumi
Miharu
Miho 2
Mika 2
Miki 3
Misa
Misato
Miwa
Miyuki
Mizuki (seems more popular among little kids now)
Nagisa (had a few of these)
Nami
Natsumi
Nozomi
Risa 2
Sachi 2
Saho
Saki 2
Sayaka 3
Shiho
Shiori (had a few of these... seemed kinda popular among some of the younger ones)
Shizuka
Shoko
Tae (ta-eh)
Yuka
Yuri 2
Yuriko
Yukari
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Replies
I noticed that too, about the -ko names getting used less and less. A couple I know just named their daughter Yoko (they don't have a Japanese background) and I could only think about how dated it sounded. But the meaning is lovely.
I forgot Tomoko! I knew a few girls named this who went by Tomo and I also knew a Tomoe. I know an Azusa but never thought her name was common, it seemed so unusual to me and so non-Japanese, if that makes any sense. Obviously I was wrong. I know a Yumiko nn Yumi with blue eyes and blonde hair, her grandfather was Japanese. I always thought that was cool. Also a Yuki which is cute and a Fumiko nn Fumi which I always thought was funny sounding. Oh and a Mina, I thought that one sounded very international as well, her full name was Minako. And I lived with an Izumi. Now that I'm writing the names pop back into my heard :) I knew a Michiko as well.
Oh and Koichi would be common too wouldn't it? I just remembered I know two. One was however almost 40, the other would be 22 or so now.
I know a Kayo and a Mayo. My friend told me that Kayo is common whether Mayo is hardly used. He always said Mayo's name was weird :P
Aya is pretty, I can understand why it's common. Have you ever heard Noa? I like that one as well. Is Chihiro common? I've met one, I'd like to know because it's one of my favorites. I also like Chiyo. I just love Chihiro's meaning.
That's so cool you got to teach in Japan!
I forgot Tomoko! I knew a few girls named this who went by Tomo and I also knew a Tomoe. I know an Azusa but never thought her name was common, it seemed so unusual to me and so non-Japanese, if that makes any sense. Obviously I was wrong. I know a Yumiko nn Yumi with blue eyes and blonde hair, her grandfather was Japanese. I always thought that was cool. Also a Yuki which is cute and a Fumiko nn Fumi which I always thought was funny sounding. Oh and a Mina, I thought that one sounded very international as well, her full name was Minako. And I lived with an Izumi. Now that I'm writing the names pop back into my heard :) I knew a Michiko as well.
Oh and Koichi would be common too wouldn't it? I just remembered I know two. One was however almost 40, the other would be 22 or so now.
I know a Kayo and a Mayo. My friend told me that Kayo is common whether Mayo is hardly used. He always said Mayo's name was weird :P
Aya is pretty, I can understand why it's common. Have you ever heard Noa? I like that one as well. Is Chihiro common? I've met one, I'd like to know because it's one of my favorites. I also like Chiyo. I just love Chihiro's meaning.
That's so cool you got to teach in Japan!
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I don't know how common Koichi is... Haven't noticed lots of them. Don't think I've met anyone named Noa in Jpn. Never heard of someone named Mayo... Could be short for Mayoko, I guess, but I don't know why anyone would call a kid just Mayo 'cause it sounds too close to the condiment. I meet occasional Chihiros, but not sure how common it is... It's not uncommon, but it's not one I encounter oodles of... Izumi is pretty standard, but I don't think it's overdone. Have met 2 gals named Mahiro in the past couple years... Both are in elementary school right now, but a few yrs. apart. 1 has an older sister named Yuwa, which is rare. Love Michiko... It's what I want as a mn on a daughter and I actually met a gal w/ the exact kanji I would use when I was up in Iwate volunteering recently.
I live in Japan again now too. If you're finished uni, you may find the JET programme interesting... application season starts soon for people to arrive next July.
Just remembered another name that's common on little girls this past decade... Yuri... Seems like another standard.
Oh... and ka has been a common ending on girls' names the past few decades as well.
Kenji makes a person think old man, but it's a standard and you very occasionally meet a young one.
-ko names people still use:
Tomoko
Keiko
Hiroko
Yoko
Noriko
Eriko
Sakurako (think that one's kinda recent)
maybe Kayoko
Reiko or Rieko (maybe)
All of those are much less common on young children than they used to be though even if they are still usable.
I live in Japan again now too. If you're finished uni, you may find the JET programme interesting... application season starts soon for people to arrive next July.
Just remembered another name that's common on little girls this past decade... Yuri... Seems like another standard.
Oh... and ka has been a common ending on girls' names the past few decades as well.
Kenji makes a person think old man, but it's a standard and you very occasionally meet a young one.
-ko names people still use:
Tomoko
Keiko
Hiroko
Yoko
Noriko
Eriko
Sakurako (think that one's kinda recent)
maybe Kayoko
Reiko or Rieko (maybe)
All of those are much less common on young children than they used to be though even if they are still usable.
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She was just named Mayo and she was horrible :/ I guess that's why her name didn't get much love, my friend would call her Mayonnaise. The Michiko I knew was lovely, I always liked her name.
I'll finish in January or February, so it's less than 6 months. I'd love to travel for a while after school (I went to Australia for a year after high school), but will probably first get my Master's degree. I'd love to teach in another country, the thing is that English isn't the first language I learned, I started learning it when I was in elementary school. I think they usually go with native English speakers. In Australia I met lots of people who taught English in China and they didn't even need a degree, they just wanted people who were born and raised in an English speaking country so they'd have no foreign accent.
Tomoko always reminds me of Ringu, it's the name of one of the school girls. I really like it, though. Sakurako is cool but quite a mouthful. I have a friend who is half-Japanese, her middle name is Hiroko, but she spells it Hiloko. Reiko is lovely, I also like Rei.
I'll finish in January or February, so it's less than 6 months. I'd love to travel for a while after school (I went to Australia for a year after high school), but will probably first get my Master's degree. I'd love to teach in another country, the thing is that English isn't the first language I learned, I started learning it when I was in elementary school. I think they usually go with native English speakers. In Australia I met lots of people who taught English in China and they didn't even need a degree, they just wanted people who were born and raised in an English speaking country so they'd have no foreign accent.
Tomoko always reminds me of Ringu, it's the name of one of the school girls. I really like it, though. Sakurako is cool but quite a mouthful. I have a friend who is half-Japanese, her middle name is Hiroko, but she spells it Hiloko. Reiko is lovely, I also like Rei.
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Wow... Hiloko is an unusual spelling for the name Hiroko... Don't know what her parents were thinking....
Where are you from now? Your English is vrey good.
Where are you from now? Your English is vrey good.
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btw... If you scroll down, you'll find a combo for Emiho and also my lists in the 15 boys' names and 15 girls' names categories that may be of interest.
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I can't find the Emiko combos and the top names, where are they? I voted on your PNL, cool that you like Arielle, it's one of my favorites.
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It was an EhmiHo combo... not an Emiko combo... not sure if it's still on the board of most recent posts, but you can check... Scroll down from this post and you'll see... Just look for posts I've made on this board in the last few days and you'll find a few things...
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Ahh now I get it ;) I thought it was in one of the posts made in this thread and was confused. I'll look for it.
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Glad you found it... Have put a couple more combos up since then.
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