Home › Baby Names Directory › Hideko

Hideko

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Hideko

Pronounced hee-DEH-koh /hiˈdɛkoʊ/Medium

Meaning: Hideko is a Japanese girl's name combining an element read 'hide', meaning 'excellent', 'superior' or 'fine', with 'ko', meaning 'child', for a sense such as 'excellent child'. The -ko ending was one of the most common in Japanese girls' names of the early twentieth century.Medium

In 30 seconds: Hideko is a Japanese girl's name meaning 'excellent child', carried by Japanese American families in the early twentieth century, said hee-DEH-koh.

💕 Browse more names

Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningHideko is a Japanese girl's name combining an element read 'hide', meaning 'excellent', 'superior' or 'fine', with 'ko', meaning 'child', for a sense such as 'excellent child'. The -ko ending was one of the most common in Japanese girls' names of the early twentieth century.

U.S. rank (1943)#3617 ↗ Rising

1943 U.S. births8 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1922

Total births (all-time)≈ 338

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

Hideko appears in United States records among Japanese American families in the early twentieth century, its 'hide' element meaning 'excellent' and 'ko' meaning 'child'. Many girls given it in that period belonged to the immigrant and second-generation communities of the West Coast.

The name was always rare in the national figures, reaching only a couple dozen girls a year around the early nineteen-twenties, and its use here narrowed sharply around the Second World War. A woman named Hideko from that time would be of a great-grandmother's generation now; the name remains a heritage choice tied to Japanese families.

Did you know? The -ko ending in Hideko simply means 'child' and was one of the most common closings for Japanese girls' names of its era.

Overall data confidence 60%

References - Hideko — Japanese hide 'excellent' + ko 'child'; romaji only

Variations

HideyoHidemiHideka

Nicknames

Hide

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Hideko…

Sumiko— a like Japanese -ko girl's name

Michiko— a familiar Japanese -ko name of the era

Kimiko— a similar Japanese name meaning a kind of child

Yoshiko— another common Japanese -ko name

Explore names like Hideko

By themevintage japanese

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Hideko mean?

It is a Japanese name meaning 'excellent child', from 'hide' meaning 'excellent' and 'ko' meaning 'child'.

How do you pronounce Hideko?

It's said hee-DEH-koh /hiˈdɛkoʊ/, three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Hideko a boy or girl name?

Hideko is used as a girl's name.

Is Hideko a popular name?

No, it has always been rare in America, a Japanese name used mainly by Japanese American families in the early twentieth century.