| Nami | Akari | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Wave | Light, brightness |
| Origin | japanese | Japanese |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | NAH-mee | ah-KAH-ree |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1990 |
| Peak year | 2025 (156) | 2023 (111) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 104 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Nami | Akari |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 710 | 513 |
| 2010s | 296 | 386 |
| 2000s | 104 | 176 |
| 1990s | 42 | 57 |
| 1980s | 20 | 0 |
From the Japanese word nami (波) meaning 'wave'. Depending on the kanji used it can also carry other senses, but the 'wave' reading is standard.
Akari is commonly written with kanji meaning “light” or “brightness.”
Akari is more popular than Nami today: about 104 US babies were given the name Akari in 2025, compared with 0 named Nami.
Nami means Wave (japanese origin), while Akari means Light, brightness (Japanese origin).
In US records, Nami first appears in 0 and Akari in 1990, so Nami has the longer recorded history.