Fun Facts About the Name Akira
- More than 9 thousand babies named Akira: U.S. records list 9,832 babies given the name Akira from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 2,020 boys received the name Akira - about 1 boy for every 4 girls.
What Does the Name Akira Mean?
Akira is a Japanese given name whose meaning depends on the characters chosen to write it. The most common choice, 明, means "bright" or "clear," and this single character can itself be read Akira as a name reading. Other frequent characters used for the name include 亮 ("clear, bright"), 彰 ("clear, evident"), 章 ("chapter, badge"), 晃 ("dazzling"), 旭 ("rising sun"), and 朗 ("bright, cheerful"). Because these characters share the reading Akira but not one meaning, the name is usually summarized as "bright" or "clear."
The sound is older than any single spelling. The Japanese root ak- carries a sense of brightness and clarity in everyday words such as akarui ("bright") and akari ("light"). The name is normally written with one or two kanji: an element read aki, and, when a second character is used, one read ra, which has no fixed meaning of its own. It can also be written in hiragana (あきら) or katakana (アキラ), where the characters stand for sound only and add no meaning.
Akira Name History & Origins
Akira is an established Japanese given name that is given to both boys and girls, though it is more often masculine. It belongs to the large group of Japanese names whose reading is settled but whose written form is selected individually at birth, so two people named Akira may carry entirely different characters and different literal senses. Name readings of this kind are known in Japanese as nanori: readings used for personal names but not in ordinary text. 明, for instance, is read Akira only as a name.
The name is romanized as Akira in the Hepburn system, which is why that spelling is the one most often seen outside Japan. Because Japanese names can be spelled in kanji, hiragana, or katakana, the written form a bearer uses is a matter of family choice rather than a fixed convention.
Well-known bearers include the film director Akira Kurosawa (1910 - 1998) and the manga artist Akira Toriyama (1955 - 2024). Katsuhiro Otomo used the name for the title of his manga Akira, serialized from 1982, and for the 1988 animated film based on it; the title comes from its lead character and helped make the word recognizable to audiences who do not speak Japanese. Outside Japan, Akira is given mainly in Japanese and Japanese-diaspora communities.
How Popular is the Name Akira?
Akira recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2008. Its best rank was #707 in 2008.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #983 | 257 | 0.0160% |
| 2024 | #955 | 272 | 0.0169% |
| 2023 | #1,022 | 247 | 0.0154% |
| 2022 | #1,264 | 189 | 0.0115% |
| 2021 | #1,191 | 204 | 0.0124% |
| 2020 | #1,152 | 205 | 0.0127% |
| 2019 | #1,145 | 210 | 0.0125% |
| 2018 | #1,135 | 215 | 0.0126% |
| 2017 | #1,030 | 251 | 0.0145% |
| 2016 | #1,014 | 261 | 0.0147% |
| 2015 | #1,026 | 260 | 0.0146% |
| 2014 | #1,092 | 233 | 0.0130% |
| 2013 | #1,080 | 229 | 0.0131% |
| 2012 | #965 | 264 | 0.0150% |
| 2011 | #938 | 275 | 0.0156% |
| 2010 | #835 | 322 | 0.0181% |
| 2009 | #819 | 345 | 0.0188% |
| 2008 | #707 | 424 | 0.0224% |
| 2007 | #845 | 336 | 0.0175% |
| 2006 | #970 | 270 | 0.0142% |
| 2005 | #1,043 | 229 | 0.0124% |
| 2004 | #1,144 | 199 | 0.0108% |
| 2003 | #1,057 | 213 | 0.0117% |
| 2002 | #923 | 242 | 0.0135% |
| 2001 | #1,056 | 202 | 0.0112% |
| 2000 | #1,203 | 165 | 0.0091% |
| 1999 | #1,108 | 179 | 0.0101% |
| 1998 | #1,066 | 183 | 0.0104% |
| 1997 | #1,243 | 143 | 0.0082% |
| 1996 | #1,656 | 92 | 0.0052% |
| 1995 | #1,763 | 82 | 0.0047% |
| 1994 | #2,352 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 1993 | #2,013 | 69 | 0.0038% |
| 1992 | #2,239 | 59 | 0.0032% |
| 1991 | #2,620 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 1990 | #2,523 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 1989 | #3,404 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1988 | #4,016 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1987 | #2,853 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 1986 | #2,421 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 1985 | #3,085 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1984 | #2,782 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 1983 | #2,022 | 50 | 0.0030% |
| 1982 | #2,770 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1981 | #5,890 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #9,118 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #5,433 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #4,459 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #6,353 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #6,495 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #7,447 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,539 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2024 | #2,499 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2023 | #2,654 | 49 | 0.0029% |
| 2022 | #2,827 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 2021 | #2,864 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 2020 | #2,689 | 46 | 0.0027% |
| 2019 | #3,641 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2018 | #2,709 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2017 | #4,107 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2016 | #4,202 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2015 | #3,299 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2014 | #3,154 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2013 | #4,067 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2012 | #3,808 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #3,167 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2010 | #3,240 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2009 | #3,400 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2008 | #3,649 | 29 | 0.0014% |
| 2007 | #3,188 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 2006 | #2,981 | 37 | 0.0018% |
| 2005 | #3,450 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #2,452 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 2003 | #2,471 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 2002 | #2,295 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 2001 | #2,563 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2000 | #2,526 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 1999 | #2,264 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1998 | #2,200 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 1997 | #2,825 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1996 | #2,444 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1995 | #3,021 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1994 | #3,597 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1993 | #5,008 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #3,105 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1991 | #4,484 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #3,469 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #2,359 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1988 | #4,166 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #2,726 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #2,686 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1985 | #2,711 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1984 | #3,272 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1983 | #2,492 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1982 | #3,287 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #3,031 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1980 | #5,540 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #4,416 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #4,563 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #3,205 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1975 | #3,951 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #5,240 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #3,968 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #3,842 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #3,976 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #4,048 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #4,041 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1939 | #2,450 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1938 | #2,650 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1937 | #3,527 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #2,858 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1935 | #2,396 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1934 | #2,123 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1933 | #3,008 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1932 | #1,779 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1931 | #1,362 | 26 | 0.0025% |
| 1930 | #1,755 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1929 | #1,196 | 34 | 0.0032% |
| 1928 | #1,188 | 36 | 0.0033% |
| 1927 | #938 | 54 | 0.0048% |
| 1926 | #1,404 | 27 | 0.0024% |
| 1925 | #1,360 | 29 | 0.0026% |
| 1924 | #1,223 | 35 | 0.0031% |
| 1923 | #1,195 | 36 | 0.0033% |
| 1922 | #1,140 | 39 | 0.0036% |
| 1921 | #1,297 | 32 | 0.0029% |
| 1920 | #1,748 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1919 | #1,321 | 29 | 0.0030% |
| 1918 | #1,256 | 31 | 0.0031% |
| 1917 | #2,189 | 13 | 0.0014% |
| 1916 | #1,851 | 16 | 0.0018% |
| 1915 | #1,969 | 14 | 0.0016% |
| 1914 | #2,459 | 8 | 0.0012% |
| 1913 | #2,094 | 8 | 0.0016% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Akira
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with A
Unique Short Girl Names That Start with A
How the Name Akira Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Akira's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Akira's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.