During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the former distinctions between noble and commoner women’s names disappeared as commoners adopted the names of the nobility. Meanwhile, noble women used a nickname ending in -ko while they were at court, but went by their childhood names or childhood nicknames outside formal situations.
While some of the names below belonged to women as high-ranking as concubines and ladies-in-waiting of great daimyō, the list is slanted toward maids, ordinary townswomen, and other women from the upper levels of commoners.
This page is a work in progress. Updated Oct. 9, 2024.
| Name | Spelling and Meaning |
|---|---|
| Acha | 阿茶. Originally, acha was an honorific used by the emperor’s daughters, but by the 14th century it spread to less eminent women, then entered the name pool as a popular female name element. It could be shortened to cha. A- (阿) was an affectionate prefix derived from the name of the Amitabha Buddha. Cha was written with the character for tea (茶), but it is best understood as a phonetic spelling rather than a reference to tea. |
| Achaa | 阿茶阿 See Acha. |
| Achacha | 阿茶茶 See Acha. |
| Ago | あ五. Ago was derived from Ko, a short form of the classical childhood name Akome/Akomaru. Although Ago was written with the character for five (五), it is best understood as a phonetic spelling rather than a reference to the number five. |
| Agogo | あ五五. See Ago. |
| Ahi | |
| Ai | |
| Akaka | |
| Ako | 吾子 “My child” |
| Akoko | |
| Aya | |
| Ayamachi | |
| Ayaya | |
| Azechi | |
| Chaa | 茶阿 See Acha. |
| Chacha | 茶々 See Acha. |
| Chatsu | 茶津 Literally “tea harbor,” but see Acha. |
| Chibo | |
| Chii | |
| Chiku | |
| Chima | |
| Chiyo | 千代 A thousand years |
| Chobo | |
| Fuji | |
| Fuku | 福 Good fortune, blessing, good luck |
| Gomoji | 五もじ |
| Gosa | |
| Gou | |
| Harima | |
| Haru | 春 Spring |
| Hatsu | |
| Higashi | 東 East |
| Ia | |
| Ichi | 市 Market |
| Ichiya | |
| Ichiyako | いちや子 |
| Ima | |
| Imaaki | |
| Inaka | |
| Inu | Dog, a name given to girls born in the Year of the Dog |
| Ishi | 石 Stone |
| Ishikame | 石か女 Stone + turtle |
| Itoito | |
| Itoko | いと子 |
| Iwa | Rock |
| Iya | |
| Kaka | |
| Kame | 亀 Turtle |
| Kii | |
| Kiku | 菊 Chrysanthemum |
| Kimi | |
| Kita | 北 North |
| Kitsu | |
| Kiyaku | |
| Kochiya | Little Chiya |
| Kogou | こ五う. Little Gou. |
| Kohi | |
| Koho | |
| Koito | Little Ito |
| Koko | |
| Konabe | Little Nabe |
| Kotsuru | Little Tsuru |
| Kou | |
| Koya | |
| Koyaya | Little Yaya |
| Kuma | |
| Kuni | |
| Kuri | |
| Maa | |
| Man | 万 Ten thousand |
| Masa | |
| Matsu | 松 Pine tree |
| Miya | |
| Muku | |
| Mume | 梅 Japanese plum |
| Musu | |
| Naa | |
| Nabe | 鍋, cooking pot. Despite the humble sound of this name, it could be borne by women of distinction–one of Oda Nobunaga’s concubines was named Nabe. |
| Naka | |
| Natsu | 夏 Summer |
| Nene | Mouse or rat, a name given to girls born in the Year of the Rat |
| Nishi | 西 West |
| On’ue | |
| Riri | |
| Roku | 六 Six |
| Sako | |
| Sana | |
| Sashi | |
| Sen | 仙 |
| Shiyaa | |
| Suwa | |
| Take | 竹 Bamboo |
| Tama | 玉 Jewel |
| Tatsu | Dragon, a name given to girls born in the Year of the Dragon |
| Tau | |
| Toku | 徳 Virtue |
| Tomo | |
| Tora | Tiger, a name given to girls born in the Year of the Tiger |
| Tou | |
| Tsuma | |
| Tsuru | 鶴 Crane |
| Uba | |
| Uta | |
| Yasu | |
| Yaya | |
| Yayacha | やや茶 See Acha. |
| Yome | |
| Yura | |
| Yuusai | |
| Yuusen | |
| Zuru (Dzuru) |
Sources
Goble, Andrew Edmund. “Women and Medicine in Late 16th Century Japan: The Example of the Honganji Religious Community in Ōsaka and Kyoto as Recorded in the Diary of Physician Yamashina Tokitsune.” Asia Pacific Perspectives, Vol. 14, no. 1 (2016): 50-74.
Tsunoda Bun’ei (角田文衛). Japanese Female Names: A Historical Perspective | 日本の女性名 歴史的展望. Higashimurayama, Japan : Kyōikusha, 1980-1988.