unisex name
Akira
- Origin Japanese
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 11,558
the United States
#984
2025 births
Akira is a unisex name with 3 syllables. It is given to both girls and boys — about 77% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 309 babies in the United States, ranking #984. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
- Akira is a name of Japanese origin.
- Peaked in 2008, when 453 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 10,729 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Akira started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1913.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Akira over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 119 |
| 1920s | 342 |
| 1930s | 119 |
| 1960s | 15 |
| 1970s | 104 |
| 1980s | 448 |
| 1990s | 1,197 |
| 2000s | 2,992 |
| 2010s | 2,834 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,667 |
How popular is Akira?
In 2025, Akira was given to 309 babies in the United States, ranking #984 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Akira is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Akira
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Akira also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Akira over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Akira
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Akira — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Akira
How popular is the name Akira?
In 2025, Akira was given to 309 babies in the United States, ranking #984 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Akira a girl's or a boy's name?
Akira is used for both girls and boys. About 77% of recorded births with this name are girls.
How many syllables are in Akira?
Akira has 3 syllables.
When was Akira most popular?
Akira peaked in 2008, when 453 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Akira a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Akira currently ranks #984 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.
Was Akira originally a boys' or girls' name?
Akira was given mostly to boys in the earliest US birth records and is now given almost entirely to girls.