Keiko
Meaningoften blessed child · Japanese
Keiko is a Japanese girl name often meaning “blessed child”. In Japan, parents often choose a name as much for the kanji characters behind it as for its sound, so the same name can carry several shades of meaning. A meaning like this gives a child something to grow into, and a good story to tell when someone asks about their name. It sounds soft and friendly, it's easy to spell and quick to call across a playground, and it pairs well with middle names of almost any length.
Did you know?
- Scrabble scoreIf names were allowed in Scrabble, Keiko would score 13 points, thanks largely to the K (worth 5).
- GenerationKeiko peaked in 1941, which makes it a Silent Generation name, think grandparents and great-grandparents. The typical Keiko you'd meet today is about 84 years old. Now it's back in style, so there's a whole new generation of baby Keikos too.
- Roll callIn a typical school of 500 kids, your Keiko would very likely be the only one. About 1 in 94,340 baby girls got the name in 2025.
- HistoryKeiko first shows up in US birth records in 1922, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 103 years since.
- Boy or girlKeiko truly works for either: 71% of the 24 babies named Keiko in 2025 were girls, the rest boys.
US births per million girls, 1922–2025
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Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
About the name Keiko
Keiko is a girl name of Japanese origin meaning “often blessed child”. Its two syllables give it an easy rhythm, and the open vowel at the end makes it sound soft and warm. It was most fashionable in the 1940s, which gives it a vintage, grandparent-chic charm. It's rarely heard today, so it stands out while still being a real, established name.
Origin:Japanese names
More Japanese girl names
- Girl name: Naomi · pleasantness
- Girl name: Noa · movement
- Girl name: Reina · queen
- Girl name: Aya · sign, verse
- Girl name: Hana · one; flower in Japanese
- Girl name: Kiyomi · often pure beauty
- Girl name: Yuna · often gentle
- Unisex name: Akira · bright, clear
Questions about the name Keiko
What does the name Keiko mean?
Keiko means “often blessed child” and comes from Japanese. Other girl names with a similar meaning include Asher (“happy, blessed”), Bennett (“blessed”), Gwen (“white, blessed”) and Gwyneth (“blessed, happy”).
What is the origin of the name Keiko?
Keiko is Japanese in origin. Other Japanese names to consider are Naomi (“pleasantness”), Noa (“movement”), Reina (“queen”) and Aya (“sign, verse”).
Is Keiko a boy or girl name?
Keiko is a girl name, though a few boys are given it too each year. In 2025, 17 US girls were named Keiko.
How popular is the name Keiko?
Keiko ranked #6,546 for US girls in 2025, given to 17 babies. Its best year was 1941, when it reached #2,397. Over the last five years it has slipped 1,898 places.
What names are similar to Keiko?
If you like Keiko, you might also like Asher, Bennett, Gwen and Gwyneth.
What should I know before naming my baby Keiko?
Keiko is a Japanese girl name often meaning “blessed child”. In Japan, parents often choose a name as much for the kanji characters behind it as for its sound, so the same name can carry several shades of meaning. A meaning like this gives a child something to grow into, and a good story to tell when someone asks about their name. It sounds soft and friendly, it's easy to spell and quick to call across a playground, and it pairs well with middle names of almost any length. Say it out loud with your last name and any middle names you're considering, and check the initials it makes.