Japanese American Name Generator

Realistic names across five generations of Japanese America

Real-World Names & CulturesPart of: real-world name generators500 names

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Generate believable Japanese American names: Issei given names, Nisei-era English names with Japanese middle names, Sansei and Yonsei favorites, Hawaii local and Okinawan-surname names, dual-language picks like Kenji and Emi, and hyphenated mixed-family names. Built for novels, screenplays, games and family-history projects.

About Japanese American names

Japanese American names are usually read by generation. The Issei who arrived between the 1880s and 1924 kept Japanese given names: Hiroshi, Kiyoshi, Masao, Fumiko, Chiyo, Hisako. Their Nisei children, born in the 1920s and 30s, were almost always given an English first name and a Japanese middle name, so a church roll from 1940 is full of George Takeshi Morita, Mary Sakaguchi and Frank Morishita, plus clipped nicknames like Mas, Tak, Min and Kaz. Sansei born after the war got the names of their era (Gary, Dennis, Janice, Sharon, Glenn), Yonsei got Kevin, Lisa, Brian and Michelle, and today's families often choose names that work in both languages: Kenji, Kai, Naomi, Emi, Mika, Ren, Hana.

Surnames tell a second story. Mainland families are dominated by Tanaka, Nakamura, Yamamoto, Sato, Kobayashi and Yoshida, often in prewar romanizations such as Uyeda, Uyehara and Inouye rather than Ueda or Inoue. Hawaii, where Japanese Americans were a third of the territory, has a distinct mix heavy in Okinawan surnames: Oshiro, Higa, Nakasone, Shimabukuro, Arakaki, Miyashiro, Kaneshiro, Teruya. Hawaii local first names also run their own course (Clyde, Lance, Wayne, Lori, Jodi, Dawn), and Hawaiian given names like Kimo and Malia appear in mixed families. Hyphenated surnames mark the large share of recent marriages outside the community.

How to choose Japanese American names

  • Match the first name to the birth decade: Japanese given names for Issei, formal English names with Japanese middle names for Nisei (Helen Tsuji, Fred Shimada), and 1950s-80s American favorites for Sansei and Yonsei.
  • Use prewar romanizations for old mainland families: Uyeda instead of Ueda, Uyehara instead of Uehara, Inouye instead of Inoue. Families who arrived after 1965 use the modern Hepburn spellings.
  • Set the story in Hawaii and pick Okinawan surnames (Oshiro, Higa, Shimabukuro, Nakasone, Arakaki) with local first names such as Clayton, Lance, Dwayne, Lori or Jodi; it reads instantly as island-born.
  • For contemporary characters choose names that sound natural in English and Japanese, such as Kenji, Kai, Kenzo, Naomi, Emi, Mika, Mari and Erika, or an English first name with a Japanese middle name like Megan Hana Ikeda.
  • Nicknames matter: Nisei men were widely known by clipped Japanese names (Mas, Tak, Sab, Kaz, Min), and many families called a child by the English name in public and the Japanese middle name at home.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Japanese American surnames?

On the mainland the most frequent are Tanaka, Nakamura, Yamamoto, Sato, Kobayashi, Watanabe, Ito, Suzuki, Takahashi, Yoshida, Matsumoto and Yamada. In Hawaii the list looks different because most families came from Okinawa, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi and Kumamoto: Oshiro, Higa, Nakasone, Shimabukuro, Arakaki, Miyashiro, Tamashiro and Kaneshiro are all near the top.

Why do so many Nisei have old-fashioned English first names?

Nisei were born mainly between 1915 and 1940, when names like George, Frank, Harry, Fred, Mary, Alice, Helen and Ruth were at their peak in the United States. Parents usually added a Japanese middle name (George Takeshi, Mary Sakaguchi), and that name was often the one used within the family and community.

What do Issei, Nisei, Sansei, Yonsei and Gosei mean?

They are the Japanese words for first through fifth generation, counting from the immigrant. Issei are the immigrants, Nisei their American-born children, Sansei the grandchildren, and so on. Each generation has a characteristic naming style, which is why the terms are useful when building a realistic family tree for fiction.

Can I use these names for a real person or a published story?

Yes. The names combine common given names and surnames rather than copying specific people, so any match with a real individual is coincidental. For fiction they work as-is; if you are naming a child, check the kanji and meaning of any Japanese name with a native speaker.

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All 500 Japanese American names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 31 names

  • Aaron Fujii
  • Aaron Kiyoshi Hasegawa
  • Abigail Morita-Diaz
  • Adele Takenaka
  • Aiden Morimoto
  • Aiko Nomura
  • Akira Sasaki
  • Alan Jiro Mori
  • Alan Nakashima
  • Albert Kawachi
  • Alex Yamamoto-Park
  • Alice Kawahara
  • Allison Nakahara
  • Alma Tsuchiya
  • Alyssa Yoneda
  • Amelia Arakawa-Foster
  • Amy Matsumoto
  • Amy Nakahara
  • Amy Tomoko Nomura
  • Andrea Endo
  • Andrew Takahashi-Wong
  • Angela Miyashiro
  • Annette Kurokawa
  • Anthony Oshiro
  • Art Nakatsu
  • Arthur Nakagawa
  • Ashley Tsutsui
  • Audrey Nakata-Ibarra
  • Austin Kaito Fujii
  • Austin Koga
  • Ava Shibata

B: 19 names

  • Ben Nakamoto
  • Benjamin Nakashima-Kelly
  • Bernice Sumida
  • Betty Ishii
  • Beverly Okamura
  • Bill Kodama
  • Blake Masuda
  • Bob Tashiro
  • Bonnie Hanabusa
  • Brad Tominaga
  • Brandon Taro Takeda
  • Brandon Tsukamoto
  • Brent Furuya
  • Brent Yonamine
  • Brian Kenji Okada
  • Brian Yamamoto
  • Brooke Nakatsu
  • Bruce Hatanaka
  • Byron Teruya

C: 34 names

  • Calvin Nakasone
  • Cameron Taniguchi
  • Candace Kuniyoshi
  • Carol Nagata
  • Carol Yukiko Watanabe
  • Carolyn Higa
  • Casey Iwata
  • Charlene Chinen
  • Charlotte Kamimura
  • Charlotte Matsuda-Nolan
  • Cheryl Oshiro
  • Chiyo Kato
  • Chloe Miyashita
  • Chris Mizuno
  • Christina Shimabukuro
  • Christine Emi Maeda
  • Christine Kondo
  • Clarence Matsuoka
  • Clayton Higa
  • Cliff Kagawa
  • Clint Kawabata
  • Clyde Gima
  • Cody Fujiwara
  • Colin Kanemoto
  • Colleen Toyama
  • Connor Yasui
  • Corbin Otsuka
  • Corey Nakashige
  • Courtney Horiuchi
  • Craig Hayashi
  • Craig Tadashi Ishikawa
  • Curtis Fujikawa
  • Curtis Yamashita
  • Cynthia Kimura

D: 30 names

  • Dale Kuroda
  • Dana Shiraishi
  • Daniel Tanaka-Schultz
  • Darlene Nitta
  • Darren Mori
  • Darryl Agena
  • Daryl Hoshide
  • David Hayashi-Nguyen
  • Dawn Tokuda
  • Dean Kaneshiro
  • Debbie Okamoto
  • Denise Miyasato
  • Dennis Akira Kobayashi
  • Dennis Sasaki
  • Derek Noboru Nakata
  • Derek Yoshida
  • Derrick Kaneko
  • Diane Nishimura
  • Diane Reiko Matsumoto
  • Don Ogata
  • Doris Takemoto
  • Dorothy Fujita
  • Douglas Sakuma
  • Drew Morioka
  • Duane Sakurai
  • Dustin Kaneda
  • Dwayne Arakaki
  • Dwight Kinjo
  • Dwight Shimogawa
  • Dylan Sakai

E: 23 names

  • Ed Kimoto
  • Edna Yasui
  • Edward Nakasato
  • Elaine Tanabe
  • Eleanor Yanagihara
  • Elizabeth Sakamoto-Russo
  • Elsie Miyashiro
  • Emi Thompson
  • Emiko Saito
  • Emily Kimura-Lopez
  • Emily Wakamatsu
  • Emma Kawaguchi
  • Eric Ito
  • Eric Shigeru Iwasaki
  • Erika Yamamoto
  • Erin Haruko Okamoto
  • Erin Tamura
  • Ernest Kawakami
  • Ethan Nagata
  • Ethel Yamane
  • Eugene Nishioka
  • Evan Kurihara
  • Evelyn Sakai

F: 6 names

  • Felix Mori-Sanders
  • Florence Oshima
  • Frances Morimoto
  • Frank Morishita
  • Fred Shimada
  • Fumiko Ito

G: 24 names

  • Gabriel Okamoto-Price
  • Gail Oda
  • Garret Shimabukuro
  • Garrett Tashiro
  • Gary Masao Sato
  • Gary Shimizu
  • George Imamura
  • George Takeshi Morita
  • Gerald Miyazaki
  • Geraldine Fukunaga
  • Gilbert Ishimoto
  • Gina Hashizume
  • Gladys Tengan
  • Glenn Morita
  • Glenn Tengan
  • Glenn Toshio Yamashita
  • Gordon Yonamine
  • Goro Yanagi
  • Grace Nakamura-Reyes
  • Grace Takata
  • Grant Ishida
  • Gregory Ishikawa
  • Gregory Kinjo
  • Gwen Yonashiro

H: 22 names

  • Hailey Imamura
  • Hailey Rina Ono
  • Hana Williams
  • Hank Onishi
  • Hannah Kobayashi-Hart
  • Harold Arakaki
  • Harper Kuroda-Walsh
  • Harry Nakayama
  • Haruko Ogawa
  • Haruo Nakagawa
  • Harvey Yamasaki
  • Hazel Uyehara
  • Heather Ikeda
  • Heidi Teruya
  • Helen Tsuji
  • Henry Hamada-Rivera
  • Henry Okubo
  • Herbert Nakahira
  • Hideo Yamashita
  • Hiroshi Nakamura
  • Hisako Tamura
  • Howard Kawaguchi

I: 6 names

  • Ian Nishikawa
  • Ichiro Hoshino
  • Irene Kusumoto
  • Irma Tsutsui
  • Isabella Miyamoto-Burke
  • Isamu Watanabe

J: 41 names

  • Jack Shibata
  • Jacob Ishikawa-Meyer
  • Jacqueline Ozawa
  • Jaime Tanigawa
  • James Nishimura-Chen
  • Jane Akiyama
  • Janelle Yamanaka
  • Janet Murakami
  • Janice Fumiko Ito
  • Janice Yamada
  • Jared Kiyohara
  • Jason Isamu Kuroda
  • Jason Kobayashi
  • Jeanette Furukawa
  • Jeff Sugimoto
  • Jeffrey Kenichi Suzuki
  • Jenna Uyeda
  • Jennifer Suzuki
  • Jerome Taira
  • Jesse Nakagami
  • Jessica Sato-Garcia
  • Jill Hirata
  • Jim Kanemoto
  • Jiro Matsuo
  • Joan Teruya
  • Jodi Kinjo
  • Joe Yokoyama
  • Joel Nishiyama
  • Jonathan Nakasone
  • Jordan Onishi
  • Joshua Suzuki-Ramos
  • Joy Taira
  • Joyce Miyamoto
  • Joyce Sumiko Ota
  • Judy Nomura
  • Julian Nomura-Reyes
  • Julie Hoshino
  • Julie Naomi Kato
  • Jun Kobayashi
  • June Miyake
  • Justin Abe

K: 37 names

  • Kai Arakaki
  • Kai Nakamura
  • Kainoa Fujimoto
  • Kaito Ishii
  • Kalani Nakasone
  • Kaleo Ishikawa
  • Karen Emiko Yoshida
  • Karen Watanabe
  • Kay Kikuchi
  • Kayla Akiyama
  • Kaz Ikegami
  • Kazuko Honda
  • Kazuo Kimura
  • Kealoha Miyashiro
  • Keith Nakata
  • Kelsey Mari Endo
  • Kelsey Matsunaga
  • Kenji Brown
  • Kenneth Sumida
  • Kenneth Susumu Kawasaki
  • Kenzo Hayashi
  • Keola Watanabe
  • Kevin Nakamura
  • Kevin Yoshio Nakashima
  • Kimberly Kaneshiro
  • Kimiko Kuroda
  • Kimo Tanaka
  • Kira Yasuda
  • Kiyoshi Tanaka
  • Koji Sato
  • Krista Nagamine
  • Kristen Tsukamoto
  • Kristi Matsushita
  • Kristin Yuriko Nagata
  • Kurt Uehara
  • Kyle Ren Fukuda
  • Kyle Takeda

L: 36 names

  • Lance Miyasato
  • Lance Nakasone
  • Laura Ono
  • Lauren Mika Hoshino
  • Lauren Sakata
  • Laurie Aiko Takahashi
  • Lawrence Arakaki
  • Leah Yokoyama
  • Leanne Hamamoto
  • Lehua Oshiro
  • Leilani Sato
  • Leonard Taira
  • Leroy Kashiwagi
  • Leslie Nakamura
  • Lester Murata
  • Liam Hirano-Ortiz
  • Lianne Ohta
  • Lillian Tokuda
  • Lillian Wakamatsu
  • Lily Matsunaga
  • Linda Hamada
  • Linda Michiko Tanaka
  • Lindsey Ishibashi
  • Lisa Mariko Sakamoto
  • Lisa Tanaka
  • Lloyd Matsuura
  • Logan Arakawa
  • Loretta Shiroma
  • Lori Asato
  • Lori Honda
  • Lorna Shimabukuro
  • Louise Tamanaha
  • Lucas Kawamura-Silva
  • Lyle Shintani
  • Lynn Asato
  • Lynn Teruya

M: 45 names

  • Mabel Fujiwara
  • Mae Horiuchi
  • Malia Yamamoto
  • Marcia Sugiyama
  • Marcus Kanemura
  • Mari Anderson
  • Marilyn Kawamoto
  • Marjorie Koga
  • Mark Hiroshi Nakamura
  • Mark Ogawa
  • Marlene Tokuda
  • Martha Tokunaga
  • Marvin Agena
  • Mary Sakaguchi
  • Mas Yoshimura
  • Masako Okada
  • Masao Yamaguchi
  • Mason Nagata-Delgado
  • Mason Takeda
  • Matt Fukuda
  • Matthew Yoshida-Flores
  • May Yasuda
  • Maya Tsuji
  • Megan Hana Ikeda
  • Megan Hiramoto
  • Melissa Maeda
  • Melvin Hashimoto
  • Meredith Hamasaki
  • Merle Asato
  • Mia Sugiyama
  • Michael Ito-Brennan
  • Michelle Arashiro
  • Michelle Sato
  • Michiko Nagata
  • Mika Tanaka
  • Mildred Masuda
  • Miles Ikegami
  • Milton Uehara
  • Min Yamagata
  • Minoru Kobayashi
  • Mitsuko Miyamoto
  • Mitsuo Takahashi
  • Miyoko Hasegawa
  • Monica Takagi
  • Myra Kinjo

N: 14 names

  • Nancy Matsuda
  • Nancy Setsuko Tsukamoto
  • Naomi Okada
  • Natalie Kurata
  • Natasha Fujinaka
  • Nathan Yamane
  • Neil Ohara
  • Nicole Higa
  • Nina Oshima
  • Noah Tanabe
  • Noboru Sakamoto
  • Noelani Higa
  • Norma Okazaki
  • Norman Hiramoto

O: 3 names

  • Olivia Fujimoto-Castillo
  • Olivia Hamada
  • Owen Haraguchi

P: 8 names

  • Paige Yoshimura
  • Patricia Sakamoto
  • Patricia Teruko Uchida
  • Paul Fukushima
  • Pauline Oshita
  • Phyllis Inoue
  • Preston Yanagida
  • Pua Tamashiro

R: 32 names

  • Rachel Higashi
  • Rachel Sakura Tamura
  • Ralph Yamauchi
  • Randall Yonashiro
  • Randy Iwasaki
  • Ray Uyeda
  • Raymond Higashi
  • Rebecca Watanabe-Cohen
  • Reid Miyashiro
  • Reiko Iwasaki
  • Reina Fujita
  • Ren Matsuda
  • Renee Kusunoki
  • Reuben Kamiya
  • Rhonda Kishi
  • Richard Tengan
  • Robert Yonamine
  • Robin Uyemura
  • Robyn Higa
  • Rodney Fujioka
  • Roger Kaneshiro
  • Ronald Hirano
  • Ronald Kazuo Shimizu
  • Rosalind Kanemitsu
  • Rose Hayakawa
  • Ross Yoshioka
  • Roy Taniguchi
  • Ruby Honda-Lin
  • Russell Yonemura
  • Ruth Iwamoto
  • Ryan Koji Sugimoto
  • Ryan Takahashi

S: 37 names

  • Sab Nishikawa
  • Saburo Kaneko
  • Sachiko Ikeda
  • Sadie Haraguchi
  • Sakura Nishida
  • Sam Kurihara
  • Samantha Kikuchi
  • Sarah Okada-Williams
  • Satoru Ishikawa
  • Scott Hasegawa
  • Scott Minoru Arakawa
  • Sean Mochizuki
  • Setsuko Fukuda
  • Shane Nakasato
  • Sharon Fujimoto
  • Sharon Sachiko Kimura
  • Shawn Noguchi
  • Shelby Takei
  • Sheldon Tamashiro
  • Sheryl Chinen
  • Shigeo Uchida
  • Shigeru Hayashi
  • Shizue Yamada
  • Sophie Saito
  • Spencer Ohashi
  • Stacy Miyoko Honda
  • Stanley Oyama
  • Stephanie Okada
  • Steven Kawamura
  • Steven Takashi Hayashi
  • Stuart Miyashita
  • Sue Ohashi
  • Sumiko Arakawa
  • Susan Kato
  • Susan Keiko Yamamoto
  • Susumu Yoshida
  • Sylvia Hamasaki

T: 28 names

  • Tadashi Okamoto
  • Tak Ishida
  • Takeshi Morita
  • Tamara Wakabayashi
  • Tara Kunimoto
  • Taro Miller
  • Ted Sakata
  • Teruko Shimizu
  • Tessa Hirose
  • Thelma Ishihara
  • Thelma Kurata
  • Tiffany Gima
  • Timothy Tamashiro
  • Toby Sakaida
  • Todd Kawasaki
  • Todd Satoru Ogawa
  • Tom Nishida
  • Tomiko Sugimoto
  • Toshiko Kawamura
  • Toshio Nishimura
  • Tracy Ota
  • Travis Muraoka
  • Trent Shigemura
  • Trevor Kodama
  • Troy Arashiro
  • Tsutomu Fujii
  • Tyler Kenzo Mizuno
  • Tyler Kusumoto

V: 7 names

  • Valerie Kawano
  • Vanessa Asato
  • Vernon Kaneshiro
  • Vicki Kubota
  • Victoria Matsumoto-Lee
  • Vincent Shinagawa
  • Vivian Gima

W: 12 names

  • Wallace Kuwahara
  • Walter Yamaguchi
  • Warren Nakano
  • Wayne Arakawa
  • Wayne Oshiro
  • Wendy Kimiko Hamada
  • Wendy Uchida
  • Wesley Kanazawa
  • Whitney Kudo
  • Wilfred Shimabukuro
  • William Uehara
  • Winifred Tamashiro

Y: 3 names

  • Yoneko Kishi
  • Yoshio Matsumoto
  • Yukiko Hirano

Z: 2 names

  • Zachary Nakamoto
  • Zoe Iwasaki-Morgan