Given name & surname
Akira
“one who acts as an anchor”
Akira is used as a given name and a surname. One Scottish interpretation is “one who acts as an anchor.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Scottish interpretation is “one who acts as an anchor.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Scottish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Akira through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,837
- 2,020 boys · 7,817 girls
- Most popular year
- 2008
- 453 babies
- 2025
- 309
- #983 for girls · #2,539 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 15% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 257 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 983 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 2.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 424 in 2008. It also appeared in 52 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (42). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,291 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Akira’s family of names
Akira has a related form in Akyra. Akira has a related form in Akera. Akira has a related form in Akirah.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Akira has relatives in 3 languages.
20 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Akyravariant
- Akirahvariant
- Akirralikely variant
- Akearavariant
- Akeiravariant
- Akiriavariant
- Akieravariant
- Akerravariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 19
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
- 哲original script · Japanese
- 明original script · Chinese, Japanese
- 明良original script · Japanese
- 暁original script · Japanese
- 晶original script · Japanese
- 晃original script · Japanese
- 昭original script · Japanese
- 旭original script · Japanese
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- 徹original script · Japanese
- 彰original script · Japanese
- 彬original script · Japanese
- 陽original script · Japanese
- 鑑original script · Japanese
- 亮original script · Japanese
- 輝original script · Japanese
- 行original script · Japanese
- 東original script · Japanese
- 章original script · Japanese
- Ακίραin another script · Greek
Across languages 25
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Akira
- Akira KurosawaJapanese filmmaker (1910–1998)
- Akira ToriyamaJapanese manga artist and character designer (1955-2024)
- Akira SuzukiJapanese chemist (1930 - )
- Akira YoshinoJapanese engineer and researcher (1948-), known as an inventor of lithium-ion battery
- Akira NishinoJapanese association football player and managerborn 1955
- Akira NarahashiJapanese association football playerborn 1971
- Akira KajiJapanese association football playerborn 1980
- Akira MatsunagaJapanese association football player (1914–1943)
- Akira KitaguchiJapanese association football playerborn 1935
Characters named Akira: Akira Fudo (Go Nagai's manga series Devilman).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Akira, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Keira
“little dark-haired one” · “having dark features; the little dark one”
>99% girls
Kira
“little dark-haired one”
>99% girls
Aileen
“light-bearer” · “from the green meadow”
>99% girls
Ariana
“resembling silver” · “one who is holy”
>99% girls
Aila
“one who bears light” · “from a protected place”
>99% girls
Vanora
“from the white wave”
>99% girls
Ainsley
“one's own meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Davina
“the beloved one” · “Beloved”
>99% girls