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Fumiko

♀ Girl

Pronounced foo-MEE-koh /fuˈmiː.koʊ/Medium

Meaning: Fumiko is a Japanese feminine name commonly written with the element fumi ('writing, literature', or with kanji for 'abundant beauty') and ko ('child') — often read 'child of literature' or 'child of abundant beauty'. Readings vary with the kanji chosen. It belonged to early Japanese-American families.Medium

In 30 seconds: Fumiko is a Japanese girl's name (said 'foo-MEE-koh'), 'child of literature' or 'child of abundant beauty'. An early Japanese-American heritage name.

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Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningFumiko is a Japanese feminine name commonly written with the element fumi ('writing, literature', or with kanji for 'abundant beauty') and ko ('child') — often read 'child of literature' or 'child of abundant beauty'. Readings vary with the kanji chosen. It belonged to early Japanese-American families.

U.S. rank (1986)#11526 ↘ Falling

1986 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1923

Total births (all-time)≈ 721

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Fumiko is a Japanese feminine name, typically written with fumi — a character read as 'writing' or 'literature', or with kanji for 'abundant beauty' — and ko, 'child', giving 'child of literature' or 'child of abundant beauty'. The exact sense depends on the kanji chosen. In the United States it belonged to the early Japanese-American community, a generation whose lives were later marked by the WWII incarceration.

Fumiko crested around 1923 among first- and second-generation Japanese-American families and faded as later generations chose English names. A girl named Fumiko then would belong to the great-grandmother generation. The -ko ending, once near-universal in Japanese girls' names, has itself grown old-fashioned in Japan; Fumiko reads as a dignified heritage name with no revival in American use.

Did you know? Fumiko's -ko ending means 'child', a hallmark of Japanese girls' names of its generation; in the US it crested around 1923.

Overall data confidence 70%

References — Fumiko — Japanese fumi 'literature/beauty' + ko 'child'; Japanese-American cohort

Variations

FumieFumika

Nicknames

Fumi

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Fumiko…

Tomiko— a like -ko Japanese girl's name of the cohort

Michiko— another -ko name of the same generation

Yumiko— a like Japanese 'child' name of the era

Kazuko— shares the -ko ending

Tamiko— shares Fumiko's Japanese roots

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Fumiko mean?

Fumiko is a Japanese feminine name usually read as 'child of literature' or 'child of abundant beauty'.

How do you pronounce Fumiko?

It's said foo-MEE-koh /fuˈmiː.koʊ/ — three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Fumiko a boy or girl name?

Fumiko is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Fumiko?

Fumiko was an uncommon Japanese heritage name in the US, most visible in the early nineteen-twenties.