Fun Facts About the Name Sakura
- More than 1 thousand babies named Sakura: U.S. records list 1,783 babies given the name Sakura from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Sakura Mean?
Sakura is a Japanese name meaning "cherry blossom." It comes from the Japanese noun sakura (桜 or さくら), the ordinary word for a cherry tree or its flower. In Japanese, the name is usually written with the kanji 桜 or in hiragana as さくら, though given names can also use other kanji readings. The further origin of the word sakura is uncertain; a traditional explanation links it to saku, "to bloom," but that derivation is not firmly established. Literally, the name refers to the flower; associations with spring and transience are cultural symbolism rather than part of the etymology.
Sakura Name History & Origins
The word sakura is attested in early Japanese poetry. It appears in the Man'yōshū, an eighth-century anthology, and became a central image in Heian-period court poetry and in hanami, the custom of viewing cherry blossoms. The kanji 桜 is the modern Japanese simplified form of 櫻, the older character used for the tree and blossom. As a personal name, Sakura is used in Japan, most often for girls, and is usually written 桜 or さくら. The name has also been borrowed into English-speaking countries from Japanese. Later fictional characters named Sakura, such as the title character of Cardcaptor Sakura and a main character in Naruto, are examples of the name's use in modern popular culture; they are not its earliest documented occurrence.
How Popular is the Name Sakura?
Sakura has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2012. Its best rank was #2,186 in 2012.
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 | #2,925 | 58 | 0.0036% |
| 2024 | #3,001 | 55 | 0.0034% |
| 2023 | #3,418 | 47 | 0.0029% |
| 2022 | #3,207 | 51 | 0.0031% |
| 2021 | #2,918 | 58 | 0.0035% |
| 2020 | #3,055 | 53 | 0.0033% |
| 2019 | #2,811 | 60 | 0.0036% |
| 2018 | #2,836 | 60 | 0.0035% |
| 2017 | #2,592 | 68 | 0.0039% |
| 2016 | #2,859 | 60 | 0.0034% |
| 2015 | #2,678 | 67 | 0.0038% |
| 2014 | #2,733 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 2013 | #2,429 | 75 | 0.0043% |
| 2012 | #2,186 | 87 | 0.0049% |
| 2011 | #2,321 | 81 | 0.0046% |
| 2010 | #2,379 | 80 | 0.0045% |
| 2009 | #2,311 | 85 | 0.0046% |
| 2008 | #2,507 | 76 | 0.0040% |
| 2007 | #2,453 | 77 | 0.0040% |
| 2006 | #2,751 | 65 | 0.0034% |
| 2005 | #2,961 | 55 | 0.0030% |
| 2004 | #2,733 | 60 | 0.0033% |
| 2003 | #3,282 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2002 | #2,932 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 2001 | #2,591 | 59 | 0.0033% |
| 2000 | #5,281 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #6,142 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1998 | #5,314 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #10,604 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #7,481 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #10,308 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #8,025 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #11,517 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #9,329 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #7,319 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #9,074 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #7,342 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1988 | #13,411 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #9,578 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #12,064 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #11,749 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #7,979 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #11,510 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #9,027 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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.
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How the Name Sakura Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Sakura's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sakura's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.