# Akira (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/akira/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | Japanese |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 9,837 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,020 / 7,817 (79% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 816, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese あきら (Akira).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 275 | 938 |
| 2012 | 265 | 958 |
| 2013 | 229 | 1,080 |
| 2014 | 233 | 1,092 |
| 2015 | 260 | 1,026 |
| 2016 | 261 | 1,014 |
| 2017 | 251 | 1,030 |
| 2018 | 215 | 1,135 |
| 2019 | 210 | 1,145 |
| 2020 | 205 | 1,152 |
| 2021 | 204 | 1,191 |
| 2022 | 190 | 1,259 |
| 2023 | 248 | 1,018 |
| 2024 | 274 | 952 |
| 2025 | 257 | 983 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 35 | 3,167 |
| 2012 | 27 | 3,809 |
| 2013 | 24 | 4,067 |
| 2014 | 35 | 3,154 |
| 2015 | 34 | 3,299 |
| 2016 | 24 | 4,202 |
| 2017 | 25 | 4,108 |
| 2018 | 45 | 2,711 |
| 2019 | 30 | 3,641 |
| 2020 | 46 | 2,689 |
| 2021 | 43 | 2,864 |
| 2022 | 45 | 2,830 |
| 2023 | 49 | 2,660 |
| 2024 | 54 | 2,504 |
| 2025 | 52 | 2,539 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 22 | 1,374 |
| 2012 | 17 | 1,720 |
| 2013 | 31 | 1,128 |
| 2014 | 29 | 1,177 |
| 2015 | 51 | 760 |
| 2016 | 40 | 916 |
| 2017 | 35 | 1,021 |
| 2018 | 27 | 1,234 |
| 2019 | 24 | 1,316 |
| 2020 | 26 | 1,238 |
| 2021 | 32 | 1,069 |
| 2022 | 25 | 1,282 |
| 2023 | 37 | 941 |
| 2024 | 19 | 1,603 |
| 2025 | 26 | 1,229 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4 | 3,830 |
| 2012 | 7 | 2,721 |
| 2013 | 9 | 2,216 |
| 2014 | 4 | 3,895 |
| 2015 | 9 | 2,319 |
| 2016 | 7 | 2,804 |
| 2017 | 7 | 2,734 |
| 2018 | 10 | 2,112 |
| 2019 | 6 | 3,013 |
| 2020 | 9 | 2,228 |
| 2021 | 6 | 3,017 |
| 2022 | 7 | 2,755 |
| 2023 | 6 | 3,112 |
| 2024 | 6 | 3,254 |
| 2025 | 8 | 2,664 |

## People named Akira

- Akira Iriye, American historian (1934-2026)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.