| Sakura | Aiko | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Cherry blossom | Child of love |
| Origin | Japanese | japanese |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | sah-KOO-rah | AH-ee-koh |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1970 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2012 (87) | 2023 (77) |
| In 2025 | 58 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Sakura | Aiko |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 322 | 384 |
| 2010s | 702 | 301 |
| 2000s | 595 | 311 |
| 1990s | 113 | 124 |
| 1980s | 41 | 60 |
| 1970s | 10 | 45 |
| 1950s | 0 | 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 7 |
| 1930s | 0 | 108 |
| 1920s | 0 | 306 |
| 1910s | 0 | 134 |
Sakura means “cherry blossom,” Japan’s emblematic spring flower; other kanji give other senses.
A Japanese name most commonly written 愛子, from ai 'love, affection' and ko 'child' — 'child of love, beloved child'. Meaning depends on the kanji chosen, but the 愛 (love) spelling is the standard one.
Sakura is more popular than Aiko today: about 58 US babies were given the name Sakura in 2025, compared with 0 named Aiko.
Sakura means Cherry blossom (Japanese origin), while Aiko means Child of love (japanese origin).
In US records, Sakura first appears in 1970 and Aiko in 0, so Aiko has the longer recorded history.