Girl · #9,521 in 2026

Hanako

Hanako is a female Japanese given name. The name can have different meanings, one of them being 花子, meaning "flower child", and another being 華子.

  • Japanese
Current Rank
#9,521
Peak Rank
#2,048 (1921)
Total Babies
387
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1915
First Year
2024
Last Year
1921
Peak Year
#2048
Peak Rank
387
Total Count
42
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Hanako

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Hanako is a female Japanese given name. The name can have different meanings, one of them being 花子, meaning "flower child", and another being 華子.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Japanese

The Story of Hanako

Hanako first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1915, with 13 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 19 Hanakos were born — ranking #2,048 that year. As of 2026, Hanako ranks #9,521 for baby girls with 10 births, with steady use. In total, more than 387 Hanakos have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
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WI
MI
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VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
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OH
PA
NJ
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Top 10
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No data

Notable people named Hanako

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Hanako Footman (born 1994), British-Japanese actress and writer
  • Hanako Greensmith (born 1996), American actress
  • Hanako Honda ( 本多 花子 ; 1909-1968) , Japanese politician
  • Hanako Jimi ( 自見 英子 ; born 1976) , Japanese politician
  • Hanako Miura ( 三浦 華子 ; born 1975) , Japanese gymnast
  • Hanako Muraoka ( 村岡 花子 ; 1893–1968) , Japanese novelist and translator
  • Hanako Nakamori ( 中森 華子 ; born 1988) , Japanese professional wrestler
  • Hanako Okada ( 岡田 華子 ; born 1980) , Japanese lawyer and politician

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Hanako

Phonetically similar names — useful when Hanako is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hanako

What does the name Hanako mean?
Hanako is a female Japanese given name. The name can have different meanings, one of them being 花子, meaning "flower child", and another being 華子.
What is the origin of the name Hanako?
Hanako has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Japanese.
How popular is Hanako in 2026?
In 2026, Hanako ranks #9,521 among girls' names in the U.S., with 10 babies given the name that year.
When was Hanako most popular?
Hanako reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #2,048 that year with 19 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Hanako most popular?
Hanako has historically been most popular in Hawaii, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Hanako.
Is Hanako a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Hanako is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Hanako?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Hanako include Orie, Zelphia, Venna. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Hanako

Hanako is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 387 births in the dataset. Hanako's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #2,048. Use the chart and map above to compare Hanako's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.