Neko
Boy · NEH-koh · Japanese
Neko is a boys' name of Japanese origin, meaning “cat”. In 2025 it ranked 3,378th for boys in the US (34 babies).
What does Neko mean?
Japanese: Japanese word for cat
“cat”
Japanese word for cat, familiar from the beckoning maneki-neko figurine.
- Say it
- NEH-koh
Is Neko a girl's or a boy's name?
Neko is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 34 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Neko in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2023, with 6 boys.
Neko in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6 | #3,279 |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,195 |
| 2021 | 3 | #4,989 |
| 2020 | 4 | #4,025 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 1 | #6,332 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 3 | #4,691 |
How popular is Neko in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,378among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 34about 1 in 50,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 7% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 34 boys in the US were named Neko, making it the 3,378th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,135th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 55 boys. It first appears in the records in 1969.
Half of all the boys named Neko in the US since 1880 were born between 2002 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 30% of the babies named Neko in the US in 2006, and 16% in 2024.
Neko in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 | #3,378 |
| 2024 | 27 | #3,984 |
| 2023 | 33 | #3,472 |
| 2022 | 38 | #3,149 |
| 2021 | 55 | #2,438 |
| 2020 | 36 | #3,135 |
| 2019 | 26 | #4,000 |
| 2018 | 26 | #3,989 |
| 2017 | 31 | #3,514 |
| 2016 | 31 | #3,523 |
| 2015 | 30 | #3,590 |
| 2014 | 33 | #3,295 |
| 2013 | 38 | #2,953 |
| 2012 | 49 | #2,516 |
| 2011 | 28 | #3,694 |
| 2010 | 35 | #3,180 |
| 2009 | 38 | #3,044 |
| 2008 | 28 | #3,741 |
| 2007 | 35 | #3,186 |
| 2006 | 21 | #4,366 |
| 2005 | 16 | #5,029 |
| 2004 | 21 | #4,124 |
| 2003 | 19 | #4,271 |
| 2002 | 28 | #3,184 |
| 2001 | 16 | #4,670 |
| 2000 | 23 | #3,530 |
| 1999 | 13 | #5,029 |
| 1998 | 18 | #3,845 |
| 1997 | 13 | #4,663 |
| 1996 | 8 | #6,489 |
| 1995 | 14 | #4,274 |
| 1994 | 15 | #4,088 |
| 1993 | 14 | #4,220 |
| 1992 | 29 | #2,462 |
| 1991 | 20 | #3,099 |
| 1990 | 18 | #3,303 |
| 1989 | 13 | #4,011 |
| 1988 | 20 | #2,760 |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 6 | #5,466 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 5 | #4,403 |
Names like Neko
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Kairo Kenzo Yusuf Loki Shko Kaito Koa Nico Yug Ruairi Yunus Rumi
Names related to Neko
More Japanese names
Kobe Kaizen Raiden Ren Akari Ronin Kyomi Akira Yuna Emi Kiyomi Kairi Miya Kenji Reo Jiraiya