Given name & surname
Nami
“woman of the waves”·“of the waves”
Nami is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “woman of the waves” (Japanese) and “of the waves” (Japanese). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Japanese奈己
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “woman of the waves” (Japanese) and “of the waves” (Japanese). These may reflect different naming traditions.
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 1983. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nami through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,185
- 13 boys · 1,172 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 156 babies
- 2025
- 156
- #1,404 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +172%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 156 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,404 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 166.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (22). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,003 as a first name in 2020; 212 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.
Nami’s family of names
Nami has a related form in Namiko. Nami has a related form in Namie. Nami has a related form in Namea.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 10
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
- 奈己original script · Japanese
- 奈実original script · Japanese
- 奈未original script · Japanese
- 奈巳original script · Japanese
- 那美original script · Japanese
- 奈美original script · Japanese
- 菜美original script · Japanese
- 名実original script · Japanese
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People named Nami
- Nami OtakeJapanese association football playerborn 1974
- Nami TamakiJapanese pop singerborn 1988
- Nami MatsuyamaJapanese badminton playerborn 1998
- Nami SanoJapanese mangaka1987–2023
- Nami HayakawaJapanese archerborn 1984
- Nami NabekuraJapanese judokaborn 1997
- Nami NemotoJapanese speed skaterborn 1975
- Nami Iguchiscreenwriter and film directorborn 1967
- Nami InamoriJapanese judokaborn 1993
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nami, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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