| Akira | Nozomi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Bright, clear | hope, wish |
| Origin | Japanese | japanese |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | ah-KEE-rah | no-ZO-mee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1973 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2008 (424) | 2021 (10) |
| In 2025 | 257 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Akira | Nozomi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,378 | 41 |
| 2010s | 2,521 | 32 |
| 2000s | 2,625 | 38 |
| 1990s | 955 | 19 |
| 1980s | 288 | 13 |
| 1970s | 50 | 0 |
Akira is commonly written with a kanji meaning “bright” or “clear.”
A Japanese name meaning 'hope' (希) or 'wish' (望), depending on the kanji chosen. Listed as both feminine and masculine, though more often given to girls. Meaning depends on the specific characters used.
Akira is more popular than Nozomi today: about 257 US babies were given the name Akira in 2025, compared with 0 named Nozomi.
Akira means Bright, clear (Japanese origin), while Nozomi means hope, wish (japanese origin).
In US records, Akira first appears in 1973 and Nozomi in 0, so Nozomi has the longer recorded history.