App publishes a ranking of the names that got the most hits during expectant parents’ searches.

Even just five years ago, parents-to-be might have thumbed through a book of baby names to help them select the perfect name for their child. In this age of there’s-an-app-for-everything, however, many couples have turned to their phones instead.

One free online Japanese baby naming app managed by Recruit Staffing (“Recstu”) released a ranking of the past year’s most popular names for boys and girls on October 27. The list accounts for the names that were accessed most frequently on the app between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021. Let’s see how they compare to a similar list of names released last year by another company, beginning with the girls.

Top Ten Girl Names in 2021

The numbers in parentheses denote each name’s ranking on Recstu’s top ten list last year.

10. Haruna 陽菜 (7)
9. Kaede 楓 (new)
8. Aoi 葵 (4)
7. Reira 莉来 (new)
6. Koharu 心陽 (new)
5. Mio 澪 (3)
4. Ema 恵茉 (12)
3. Kokoro 心桜 (new)
2. Rin 凛 (2)
1. Tsumugi 紬 (1)

In addition to the top two names maintaining their respective places from the year before, a general trend of using plants and other terms from the natural world in girls’ names seems to be continuing as well. Number 7’s “Reira,” which features a kanji meaning “jasmine flower,” was singled out for being a particularly hot new addition to this year’s list.

OK, let’s now turn our attention to the other half of the list by moving on to the boys.

▼ “All right, what’s Number 1 gonna be this year…?”

Top Ten Boy Names in 2021

The numbers in parentheses denote each name’s ranking on Recstu’s top ten list last year.

10. Saku 朔 (new)
9. Minato 湊斗 (new)
8. Ren 蓮 (5)
7. Itsuki 伊槻 (new)
6. Hiroto 大翔 (13)
5. Ibuki 伊蕗 (new)
4. Gen 絃 (new)
3. Ao 碧 (1)
2. Hayate 颯 (2)
1. Haruto 陽翔 (new)

The most general trend this year for the boys appears to be names ending in “to,” which can be represented in kanji in a couple of ways. The top pick “Haruto” and Number 6’s Hiroto feature a kanji for “to” which has a meaning of flying or soaring.

We must admit that we’re a little surprised that no names from the global hit Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer phenomenon have managed to break into the top ten…

▼ “What do you mean Tanjiro’s not on list?!”

If you’ve now got an urge to delve even deeper into Japanese nomenclature, you might be interested in checking out the top baby names over the past few 30 years or even the top cat names.

Source: My Navi News via Otakomu
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2)
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