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HelpTop 50 girls' names used in the late Edo period in Japan - WDYT?
This is based on passenger lists from Japan that I've got from familysearch.com, so this is not a complete overview of what their naming habits were in the late Edo Period.
The birth years range from 1827 to 1868 (final year of the Edo period) and the total number that I've counted is 1,073, however the total number could be lower because of some discrepancies in regards to their gender (a couple of those counted are listed as male). The total number might rise as I haven't counted those with a different surname but with the same birth year and year/date of their emigration since it is a bit difficult to determine if they are the same person.
1. Matsu - 2.237%
2. Kiku - 2.144%
3. Haru - 1.678%
4. Hatsu - 1.491%
4. Take - 1.491%
6. Kame - 1.398%
7. Yasu - 1.212%
7. Yoshi - 1.212%
9. Mitsu - 1.118%
9. Natsu - 1.118%
9. Sue - 1.118%
9. Taka - 1.118%
9. Tome - 1.118%
14. Tsune - 1.025%
14. Yuki - 1.025%
16. Ito - 0.932%
16. Kane - 0.932%
16. Masu - 0.932%
16. Shimo - 0.932%
16. Tomi - 0.932%
16. Tora - 0.932%
16. Toyo - 0.932%
23. Chiyo - 0.839%
23. Fusa - 0.839%
23. Kiyo - 0.839%
23. Kuni - 0.839%
23. Naka - 0.839%
23. Seki - 0.839%
23. Toki - 0.839%
30. Mine - 0.746%
30. Tami - 0.746%
30. Tatsu - 0.746%
30. Tsuru - 0.746%
30. Yone - 0.746%
35. Chise - 0.652%
35. Hana - 0.652%
35. Ishi - 0.652%
35. Katsu - 0.652%
35. Sono - 0.652%
35. Sumi - 0.652%
35. Waka - 0.652%
42. Chika - 0.559%
42. Koto - 0.559%
42. Masa - 0.559%
42. Misa - 0.559%
42. Mume - 0.559%
42. Sayo - 0.559%
42. Shige - 0.559%
42. Tama - 0.559%
42. Toku - 0.559%
42. Uta - 0.559%
So, WDYT? Are there any names that you are surprised to see in the top 50 (apart from the fact that there are no names with -ko in the top 50)?
My PNL: http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/149249
The birth years range from 1827 to 1868 (final year of the Edo period) and the total number that I've counted is 1,073, however the total number could be lower because of some discrepancies in regards to their gender (a couple of those counted are listed as male). The total number might rise as I haven't counted those with a different surname but with the same birth year and year/date of their emigration since it is a bit difficult to determine if they are the same person.
1. Matsu - 2.237%
2. Kiku - 2.144%
3. Haru - 1.678%
4. Hatsu - 1.491%
4. Take - 1.491%
6. Kame - 1.398%
7. Yasu - 1.212%
7. Yoshi - 1.212%
9. Mitsu - 1.118%
9. Natsu - 1.118%
9. Sue - 1.118%
9. Taka - 1.118%
9. Tome - 1.118%
14. Tsune - 1.025%
14. Yuki - 1.025%
16. Ito - 0.932%
16. Kane - 0.932%
16. Masu - 0.932%
16. Shimo - 0.932%
16. Tomi - 0.932%
16. Tora - 0.932%
16. Toyo - 0.932%
23. Chiyo - 0.839%
23. Fusa - 0.839%
23. Kiyo - 0.839%
23. Kuni - 0.839%
23. Naka - 0.839%
23. Seki - 0.839%
23. Toki - 0.839%
30. Mine - 0.746%
30. Tami - 0.746%
30. Tatsu - 0.746%
30. Tsuru - 0.746%
30. Yone - 0.746%
35. Chise - 0.652%
35. Hana - 0.652%
35. Ishi - 0.652%
35. Katsu - 0.652%
35. Sono - 0.652%
35. Sumi - 0.652%
35. Waka - 0.652%
42. Chika - 0.559%
42. Koto - 0.559%
42. Masa - 0.559%
42. Misa - 0.559%
42. Mume - 0.559%
42. Sayo - 0.559%
42. Shige - 0.559%
42. Tama - 0.559%
42. Toku - 0.559%
42. Uta - 0.559%
So, WDYT? Are there any names that you are surprised to see in the top 50 (apart from the fact that there are no names with -ko in the top 50)?
My PNL: http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/149249
This message was edited 5/9/2015, 12:19 PM
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Replies
I'm a bit surprised to find Ito (or Itou?) as a personal name. Was it in kanji or kana? It's the first time I see Tatsu on females, too.
I'd also like to know how the shift from Mitsu to present-day Hikari occurred, assuming the kanji is the same.
Pretty interesting, thanks for posting this!
I'd also like to know how the shift from Mitsu to present-day Hikari occurred, assuming the kanji is the same.
Pretty interesting, thanks for posting this!
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1. It's just Ito. If it's Itou, I would put it down as Itō and they are not the same. In regards to whether they are kanji or kana, looking at the information that I've collected, most of the women named Ito have it written in kana (most of which is in katakana) with one of them having her name written with the kanji 糸 which means "thread."
2. Assuming Mitsu and Hikari/u have the same kanji, I can't really explain how the shift occurred but I might assume that parents of Generation Y, millennial and post-millennial babies wanted to give their babies a name that doesn't sound outdated to them (with some exceptions like Haru, Natsu & Yuki). I didn't find any Mitsu with the kanji that is the same as Hikari/u but the closest I can find is 美 meaning "beauty/beautiful" mixed in with つ, the hiragana character for 'tsu.'
2. Assuming Mitsu and Hikari/u have the same kanji, I can't really explain how the shift occurred but I might assume that parents of Generation Y, millennial and post-millennial babies wanted to give their babies a name that doesn't sound outdated to them (with some exceptions like Haru, Natsu & Yuki). I didn't find any Mitsu with the kanji that is the same as Hikari/u but the closest I can find is 美 meaning "beauty/beautiful" mixed in with つ, the hiragana character for 'tsu.'
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I seem to remember someone telling me that -ko names were historically for Imperial family only, so maybe this list predates them coming into common use?
Nice to see historical Japanese names though - don't think we've had anything like this posted before. Quite a few of them are familiar to me as still in use, like Hana & Chiyo & Chise & Yuki & Misa, but there are lots I've never seen before, e.g. Uta as a name. Do you know which ones aren't used any more?
Nice to see historical Japanese names though - don't think we've had anything like this posted before. Quite a few of them are familiar to me as still in use, like Hana & Chiyo & Chise & Yuki & Misa, but there are lots I've never seen before, e.g. Uta as a name. Do you know which ones aren't used any more?
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Well, most of the women that are on these passenger lists had their names written in kana with most of them in katakana and some in hiragana, so I'll split up the list into three to see which names are still used in kanji, kana or both. Based on comparisons with the full list from 2003 provided by namaejiten.com:
KANJI:
Kiku, Yasu, Toyo, Kiyo, Mine (1 & 2 kanji), Sono, Sumi (1 & 2 kanji), Waka, Koto (1 & 2 kanji), Tama
KANA:
Tsuru
BOTH:
Haru, Natsu, Yuki, Chiyo (2 kanji, obviously), Tami (2 kanji), Chise (2 kanji, obviously), Hana (1 & 2 kanji), Chika (2 kanji), Misa (1 & 2 kanji), Uta
So around half of all the names in the top 50 were still usable by 2003 in one way or another.
KANJI:
Kiku, Yasu, Toyo, Kiyo, Mine (1 & 2 kanji), Sono, Sumi (1 & 2 kanji), Waka, Koto (1 & 2 kanji), Tama
KANA:
Tsuru
BOTH:
Haru, Natsu, Yuki, Chiyo (2 kanji, obviously), Tami (2 kanji), Chise (2 kanji, obviously), Hana (1 & 2 kanji), Chika (2 kanji), Misa (1 & 2 kanji), Uta
So around half of all the names in the top 50 were still usable by 2003 in one way or another.
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