Akira
Mostly girls · a-KEE-ra · Japanese
Akira is a name of Japanese origin, meaning “bright, clear”. In 2025 it ranked 1,280th for girls in the UK (26 babies) and 983rd for girls in the US (257 babies).
What does Akira mean?
Japanese
“bright, clear”
The meaning depends on the kanji used; the film director Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) is its best-known bearer.
- Say it
- a-KEE-ra
More on Wiktionary.
Is Akira a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Akira has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls. In 2025, it was given to 26 girls and 8 boys in the UK and 257 girls and 52 boys in the US.
How popular is Akira in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,280among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 26about 1 in 11,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 26 girls in the UK were named Akira, making it the 1,280th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,312th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 56 girls. 8 boys were also named Akira in 2025 (2,742nd for boys).
Half of all the girls named Akira in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 54% of the babies named Akira in the UK in 1996, and 76% in 2025.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,229th in England and Wales.
Akira in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | #1,280 |
| 2024 | 19 | #1,662 |
| 2023 | 39 | #969 |
| 2022 | 26 | #1,325 |
| 2021 | 33 | #1,109 |
| 2020 | 26 | #1,312 |
| 2019 | 25 | #1,368 |
| 2018 | 29 | #1,237 |
| 2017 | 35 | #1,079 |
| 2016 | 41 | #956 |
| 2015 | 56 | #758 |
| 2014 | 29 | #1,235 |
| 2013 | 34 | #1,117 |
| 2012 | 20 | #1,615 |
| 2011 | 24 | #1,379 |
| 2010 | 20 | #1,575 |
| 2009 | 15 | #1,848 |
| 2008 | 22 | #1,390 |
| 2007 | 15 | #1,784 |
| 2006 | 17 | #1,545 |
| 2005 | 9 | #2,360 |
| 2004 | 11 | #1,949 |
| 2003 | 8 | #2,320 |
| 2002 | 11 | #1,755 |
| 2001 | 4 | #3,427 |
| 2000 | 7 | #2,304 |
| 1999 | 12 | #1,576 |
| 1998 | 8 | #2,110 |
| 1997 | 1 | #5,110 |
| 1996 | 7 | #2,201 |
How popular is Akira in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #983among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 257about 1 in 6,300 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 24% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 257 girls in the US were named Akira, making it the 983rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,152nd. Its busiest year was 2008, with 424 girls. It first appears in the records in 1973. 52 boys were also named Akira in 2025 (2,539th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Akira in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 264 girls in the US were given Akira or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #898, up from #983 for this spelling alone.
- Akira 257
- Akirah 7
Girls were 72% of the babies named Akira in the US in 1982, and 83% in 2025.
Akira in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 257 | #983 |
| 2024 | 274 | #952 |
| 2023 | 248 | #1,018 |
| 2022 | 190 | #1,259 |
| 2021 | 204 | #1,191 |
| 2020 | 205 | #1,152 |
| 2019 | 210 | #1,145 |
| 2018 | 215 | #1,135 |
| 2017 | 251 | #1,030 |
| 2016 | 261 | #1,012 |
| 2015 | 260 | #1,026 |
| 2014 | 233 | #1,092 |
| 2013 | 229 | #1,080 |
| 2012 | 265 | #958 |
| 2011 | 275 | #938 |
| 2010 | 322 | #835 |
| 2009 | 345 | #819 |
| 2008 | 424 | #707 |
| 2007 | 336 | #845 |
| 2006 | 270 | #970 |
| 2005 | 229 | #1,042 |
| 2004 | 199 | #1,143 |
| 2003 | 213 | #1,056 |
| 2002 | 242 | #923 |
| 2001 | 202 | #1,055 |
| 2000 | 165 | #1,201 |
| 1999 | 179 | #1,106 |
| 1998 | 183 | #1,064 |
| 1997 | 143 | #1,240 |
| 1996 | 92 | #1,654 |
| 1995 | 82 | #1,757 |
| 1994 | 55 | #2,348 |
| 1993 | 69 | #2,007 |
| 1992 | 59 | #2,234 |
| 1991 | 46 | #2,614 |
| 1990 | 47 | #2,518 |
| 1989 | 30 | #3,396 |
| 1988 | 22 | #4,010 |
| 1987 | 34 | #2,850 |
| 1986 | 41 | #2,419 |
| 1985 | 29 | #3,083 |
| 1984 | 32 | #2,780 |
| 1983 | 50 | #2,021 |
| 1982 | 33 | #2,770 |
| 1981 | 11 | #5,884 |
| 1980 | 6 | #9,093 |
| 1979 | 12 | #5,426 |
| 1978 | 15 | #4,459 |
| 1977 | 9 | #6,338 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 8 | #6,482 |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 6 | #7,433 |
Names like Akira
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Fatima Athena Arabella Alina Ava Aurora Zara Myla Aria Amelie Sienna Isabella
Other spellings of Akira
Names related to Akira
More Japanese names
Kobe Kaizen Raiden Ren Akari Kenzo Ronin Kyomi Yuna Emi Kiyomi Kairi Miya Kenji Reo Jiraiya