Kentaro
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ken-TAH-roh
- Origin
- Japanese
Kentaro is a boys' name of Japanese origin. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Kentaro mean?
Japanese: Japanese given name, written with various kanji
Japanese name ending in taro, a traditional element meaning eldest or first son; the first part varies with the kanji used.
Is Kentaro a girl's or a boy's name?
Kentaro is a boys' name.
How popular is Kentaro in the US?
No boys in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1995, with 18 boys. It first appears in the records in 1974.
Half of all the boys named Kentaro in the US since 1880 were born between 1990 and 2006, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kentaro in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5 | #12,138 |
| 2018 | 5 | #12,150 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 5 | #12,180 |
| 2015 | 7 | #9,562 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 6 | #10,722 |
| 2012 | 7 | #9,703 |
| 2011 | 5 | #12,280 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8,133 |
| 2009 | 8 | #8,980 |
| 2008 | 10 | #7,693 |
| 2007 | 11 | #7,090 |
| 2006 | 12 | #6,455 |
| 2005 | 8 | #8,292 |
| 2004 | 16 | #5,002 |
| 2003 | 8 | #7,824 |
| 2002 | 10 | #6,515 |
| 2001 | 12 | #5,660 |
| 2000 | 16 | #4,567 |
| 1999 | 6 | #8,697 |
| 1998 | 13 | #4,868 |
| 1997 | 14 | #4,446 |
| 1996 | 15 | #4,179 |
| 1995 | 18 | #3,553 |
| 1994 | 7 | #6,962 |
| 1993 | 7 | #6,809 |
| 1992 | 6 | #7,414 |
| 1991 | 10 | #5,088 |
| 1990 | 14 | #3,965 |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 10 | #4,445 |
| 1987 | 5 | #6,945 |
| 1986 | 8 | #4,848 |
| 1985 | 7 | #5,142 |
| 1984 | 7 | #4,969 |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 7 | #5,001 |
| 1981 | 9 | #4,151 |
| 1980 | 9 | #4,133 |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 9 | #3,855 |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 5 | #5,225 |
Names like Kentaro
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Dakota, Mikko, Hiro, Kaito, Ryo, Akio, Kairo, Kenzo, Kato, Yitzchok, Yuri, Kota
More Japanese names
Kobe, Kaizen, Raiden, Ren, Akari, Ronin, Kyomi, Akira, Yuna, Emi, Kiyomi, Kairi, Miya, Kenji, Reo, Jiraiya
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kentaro: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kentaro, updated 20 October 2026.