Names

Japanese names (jinmei) in modern times consist of a family name (myoji) which is followed by a given name (namae). This is common in countries that have long been part of the Chinese cultural sphere, including among the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures. Japanese names are usually written in kanji, which are Chinese characters in Japanese pronunciation. The kanji for a name may have a variety of possible Japanese pronunciations. Name Order

Japanese names consist of a family name, followed by a given name. In the West, Japanese names are normally written in the reverse order. For example, the author Kawabata Yasunari is known in the West as Yasunari Kawabata. Note that some authors in the West use the Japanese format.

Surnames

Common family names in Japan include Sato (most common), Suzuki (second most common), Takahashi (third most common), Katō (tenth most common). Surnames occur with varying frequency in different regions; for example, the names Chinen , Higa, and Shimabukuro are common in Okinawa but not in other parts of Japan. Many Japanese family names derive from features of the rural landscape; for example, Ishikawa means "stone river," Yamamoto means "the base of the mountain," and Inoue means "above the well."

A note on Japanese surnames: unlike a lot of anime names (like those used in Sailormoon), Japanese surnames don't end in the suffix 'no'. The only one I know of is Hoshino (I knew a teacher by the name Hoshino, so it's a real name). From what I've been told, the 'no' in Hoshino isn't the 'no' that gets translates as 'of' as in Tsukino Usagi or 'Rabbit of the Moon'. The kanji is different.

Common Components of Surnames

Japanese	English
aka	red
aki	autumn
-bashi	bridge
-da	rice paddy
fuji	wisteria
fuku	good fortune; wealthy
furu	old
-gawa	river
-guchi	mouth
hana	flower
hara	field; plain
hashi	bridge
hira	flat; smooth
hon	base; main
hoshi	star
ichi	one
iwa	rock
kami	god
kami	upper, top
kawa	river
ki	tree
kita	north
kuchi	mouth
kuro	black
marui	round
matsu	pine
miya	Shinto shrine
mori	forest
moto	base; origin
mura	village
nabe	pan; pot
naka	middle
nishi	west
-no	field; plain
o (long)	large; great
o (short)	little
oka	hill
saka	slope
saki	headland, cape
sawa	marsh; swamp
shima	island
shita	lower; below; base
suzu	bell
ta	rice paddy
taka	high
take	bamboo
-to	wisteria
toku	virtuous
toyo	plentiful; abundant
ue	upper; top
wa	peace; harmony
-wara	field; plain
yama	mountain
yoshi	good luck; joy
-zawa	marsh; swamp
zen	good; virtue

Given Names

Given names (namae) are much more diverse in pronunciation and character usage. Male names often end in -rō ("son", but also "clear, bright") or -ta ("great, thick"), or contain ichi ("first [son]"), kazu ("first [son]", along with several other possible characters), ji ("second [son]" or "next"), or dai ("great, large") while female names often end in -ko ("child") or -mi ("beauty"). (Some women drop the -ko upon adulthood.) Other popular endings for female names include -ka ("scent, perfume" or "flower") and -na (meaning greens).

Common female names include Akiko (Autumn Child), Haruko (Spring Child), Jun'ko, Keiko, Kiyoko, Michiko, Natsuko (Summer Child), Sachiko, Yoshiko (Good Child), and Yukiko (Snow Child). Note that all names ending in "ko" are not necessarily female. For example, the male name Norihiko.

Common male names include Hiroshi, Ken and its many variants (Kenji, Ken'ichi), Yoshi, etc.

Japanese name generator
I thought I'd post this here just in case. You can also find good Japanese names at Baby Names World Some people may also find Names in Japanese to be useful.

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Furhter information on Japanese names

Nicknames

The common Japanese practice of forming abbreviations by concatenating the first two morae of two words is sometimes applied to names (usually those of celebrities). For example, Takuya Kimura, famous Japanese actor and singer, becomes Kimutaku. This is sometimes applied even to non-Japanese celebrities: Brad Pitt, whose full name in Japanese is Buraddo Pitto is commonly known as Burapi and Jimi Hendrix is abbreviated as Jimihen. Some Japanese celebrities have also taken names combining kanji and katakana, such as Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano), Marcy (Masashi Tashiro), Martin (Masayuki Suzuki).

Corresponding to any given name there are one or more hypocoristics, affectionate nicknames. These are formed by adding the suffix -chan to a stem. There are two types of stem. One consists of the full given name. Examples of this type are Tarō-chan from Tarō, Kimiko-chan from Kimiko, and Yasunari-chan from Yasunari. The other type of stem is a modified stem derived from the full given name. Examples of such names are: Taro-chan from Tarō, Kii-chan from Kimiko, and Yā-chan from Yasunari. Hypochoristics with modified stems are more intimate than those based on the full given name. In general, one may use a hypochoristic only if he or she has known the person since he or she was a child. Thus, they may be used for children or for adults whom one has known since they were children.

Titles

Titles: The Japanese commonly address each other by last name. Only close friends and children are usually addressed by first name. In addition, people rarely address each other just by name, but usually attach an appropriate title to the name. There is a large number of such titles depending on the gender and social position of the person you are addressing. Some of the most frequently used titles are:

* san: (for example Sato-san)
This is the most neutral and famous title, and can be used in most situations. Only in formal situations, san may not be polite enough.

* sama: (for example Sato-sama)
This is a more polite form of san, commonly used in formal situations and letters, but too polite in a casual context. Can also be attached to the name of someone you respect or someone of higher rank than you. It's considered rude or arrogant to attach it to your own name.

* kun: (for example Yusuke-kun)
This is an informal title used for boys and men that are younger than yourself.

* chan: (for example Megumi-chan)
This is an informal title used for young children and very close friends or family members.

* sensei: (for example Sato-sensei)
This is a title used for teachers, doctors and other people with a higher education and from whom you receive a service or instructions.

*sempai: (for example Sato-sempai)
This denotes a person in a higher level than you. Very commonly used in school to denote an upperclassman (which is ho it's freequently translated). It can be used in a wide variety of situations such as in jobs and in politics.

*kouhai:
The opposite of sempai, kouhai denotes a lower leve, like an underclassman.

Seimei Handan:

Seimei handan or name diagnosis is a type of fortune telling concerning names. Its theories center around the number of strokes that are required to write the characters of a name. (Note that there is a defined number of strokes for every Japanese character). Depending on the total number of strokes, and the sums of strokes for different parts of a name in relation to each other, a name is considered more or less auspicious. Some people consult seimei handan when selecting their child's name or their own artist name.