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ArchivesRe: New names I've come across -- mixed bag
in reply to a message by molly
Anuka is not really a Japanese name, in theory it could be and there might be a Japanese child called that way, but it's not really a well-known or frequently used name. Just from the sound it could very well be corean or chinese etc (if you say it was an asiatic child).
Same goes for Kitomi, in theory it would be possible, but there aren't many people called like that, at least nobody I can find :) To me it looks a bit like a misspelling of Hitomi in fact.
Maybe you could tell me more about non-japanese children having japanese names? That would be very interesting, since I feel that Japanese names are extremely rarely used by non-Japanese parents.
Same goes for Kitomi, in theory it would be possible, but there aren't many people called like that, at least nobody I can find :) To me it looks a bit like a misspelling of Hitomi in fact.
Maybe you could tell me more about non-japanese children having japanese names? That would be very interesting, since I feel that Japanese names are extremely rarely used by non-Japanese parents.
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Well, I've noticed quite a few children, mostly black, but some white or Hispanic, who have Japanese (or Japanese-sounding) or Hawaiian (and Hawaiian-sounding) names. I really like the sound of most of these names, and I'm fairly sure that's why the parents have chosen these names. Here is a list of the ones I've noticed:
Girls: Kailani, Kimari, Kitomi
Boys: Kainoa, Kamani, Keoni, Yoshi
Girls: Kailani, Kimari, Kitomi
Boys: Kainoa, Kamani, Keoni, Yoshi
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Of the names listed for girls, only Kailani could be entirely Hawaiian; "r" and "t" don't occur in the Hawaiian language. Kailani sounds very nice, but I'm confused about its intended meaning. "Kai" is a common noun for "sea" or "sea water", while "lani" is Hawaiian "the heavens." Taken together, the name may be a reference to "heavely water" (rain?) but "kai" is specifically salt water.
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