'Hiroto,' 'Hina' Most Popular Japanese Baby Names of the Year 2007

"Hiroto" and "Hina" topped Japan's favorite names for newborn babies this year, a survey by Benesse Corp. has shown.

The survey, which covered 36,544 Japanese babies born between January and November this year, found that "Hiroto" ranked No. 1 among the favorite names for newborn boys for the second consecutive year. The equivalent for baby girls was "Hina," which topped the rankings for the third consecutive year.

The popularity of names bearing the kanji character "yu," or "hisa," (meaning eternity) also rose, apparently because the character is used in the name of Prince Hisahito, who was born to Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko in September last year.


As many as three names bearing the character ranked in the top 10 names for baby boys this year, while only one name bearing the character was in the top 10 list last year.

Following the success of teenage celebrity golfer Ryo Ishikawa, the name "Ryo" climbed up to 57th in the rankings from 86th last year.

Source: Mainichi
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