Akira

Did you know?

A few things about Akira you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Akira

Akira Kurosawa

Japanese filmmaker (1910–1998)

Choose Akira and your child shares a first name with Akira Kurosawa, a Japanese filmmaker. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Akira, like who?” Akira Kurosawa's Wikipedia article is available in 176 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Akira Kurosawa on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: 映画の友 (Eiga no tomo), Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 6,254 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Akira, 257 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Akira would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryAkira first shows up in US birth records in 1913, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 112 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2008, when it reached #707.
• 🚀TrendAkira has climbed 169 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #983. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedAkira is most popular in Oklahoma, where it ranks #546, followed by Arizona (#578) and Missouri (#589). It's in the top 1,000 in 11 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlAkira is given to both boys and girls: 83% of the 309 babies named Akira in 2025 were girls. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Japanese, Akira means “bright, clear”. Our records link it to American, Japanese and Scottish roots.
• 🌍OriginAkira is the #4 most popular Japanese girl name in the US. That's out of 125 Japanese girl and unisex names in our list.

About the name Akira

Akira is a gender-neutral name of American, Japanese and Scottish origin meaning “bright, clear”. It has 5 letters and 3 syllables, starting with A and ending in “-ira”. US birth records list Akira for girls from 1973 to 2025, in 51 of those 53 years. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked #707 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #983, with 257 babies. Of the 309 US babies named Akira in 2025, 83% were girls and 17% were boys.

Origin:American namesJapanese namesScottish names