Given name & surname
Koto
“a harp player”
Koto is used as a given name and a surname. One Japanese interpretation is “a harp player.”
Original Japanese琴
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Japanese interpretation is “a harp player.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Japanese.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2017. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Koto through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10
- 0 boys · 10 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2018. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 129 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Koto’s family of names
In Greek usage, Koto as a surname is a transliteration of Κότο. In Japanese usage, Koto is a Roman-alphabet rendering of 琴.
The ring: spellings.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Koto, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kotone
Kotone is a feminine given name from Japanese.
>99% girls
Kokoro
Kokoro is a feminine given name from Japanese. It is used in French.
>99% girls
Koharu
Koharu is a feminine given name from Japanese. It is used in English and Portuguese.
>99% girls
Kimura
Kimura is a surname from Japanese. It is used in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Tagalog.
>99% girls
Kanami
Kanami is a feminine given name from Japanese.
>99% girls
Yumeko
Yumeko is a feminine given name from Japanese.
>99% girls
Ayaka
Ayaka is a feminine given name from Japanese.
>99% girls
Hikari
Hikari is a feminine given name from Japanese. It is used in English and French.
3% boys · 97% girls