Girl · #10,911 in 2026

Itasha

Name: Popularity of the name Itasha in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Itasha, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

In Japan, an itasha is a car decorated with images of characters from anime, manga, or video games. The decorations usually involve paint schemes and stickers. The cars are seen prominently in places such as Akihabara (Tokyo), Nipponbashi (Osaka), or Ōsu (Nagoya), or Itasha-based events, such as Odaiba Itasha Tengoku.

Current Rank

#10,911

Peak Rank

#8,178 (1980)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1980

First Year

1986

Last Year

1980

Peak Year

#8178

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Itasha

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

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

Etymology

In the 1980s, when Japan was at the zenith of its economic might, there were many luxury import cars in Tokyo. Among them, the "itasha"—originally Japanese slang meaning an imported Italian car—was the most desired. Since then, itasha (as the decorated vehicle) was derived from combining the Japanese words itai ( 痛い ; painful, cringe, embarrassing) and sha ( 車 ; vehicle) . Itai means "painful", with additional senses of "painfully embarrassing" → "cringeworthy", "painful for the wallet" due to the high costs involved, or "painful to look at" (an eyesore). The name is also a pun for Italian car

Origin & history

Itasha car meet, Moesha-ofu, in Iga, Mie The subculture started in Japan in the 1980s with character plushies and stickers , but only became a phenomenon in the twenty-first century, when anime culture became relatively well known via the Internet. The earliest known report of an itasha -decorated vehicle in convention was in August 2005, in Comiket 68.

The Story of Itasha

Itasha first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1980, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1980, when 7 Itashas were born — ranking #8,178 that year. As of 2026, Itasha ranks #10,911 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 12 Itashas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Itasha

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

Tasha
Itasca
Atocha
Statia
Itea
Idesia
Natasha
Attache
Stacia
Latasha
Atara
Atishoo

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Itasha

What does the name Itasha mean?

How popular is Itasha in 2026?

In 2026, Itasha ranks #10,911 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Itasha most popular?

Itasha reached its peak popularity in 1980, ranking #8,178 that year with 7 babies given the name.

Is Itasha a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Itasha is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Itasha?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Itasha include Perrine, Joeline, Doriane. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Itasha

Itasha is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1980 and has accumulated 12 births in the dataset. Itasha's peak popularity came in 1980 when it ranked #8,178. Use the chart and map above to compare Itasha'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.