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Home › Baby Names Directory › Nami

Nami

♀ Girl

Pronounced NAH-mee /ˈnɑ.mi/Medium

Meaning: "wave" (波), among other meanings depending on the kanjiMedium

In 30 seconds: Nami is a Japanese girl's name often meaning 'wave', written with the kanji 波, though other kanji give it other meanings.
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Origin MediumJapanese
Meaning"wave" (波), among other meanings depending on the kanji
U.S. rank (2025)#1404 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births156 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2025
Total births (all-time)≈ 1,172

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202519832025

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

In Japanese, Nami most familiarly means 'wave', carried by the kanji 波. Because Japanese names depend on the characters chosen, the same sound can hold quite different meanings with different kanji. The watery 'wave' reading is simply the best known of these.

Its crisp two-syllable sound travels easily outside Japan, where the accented Nåmi sometimes appears.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Nami is 'beautiful', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Nami — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

Nåmi

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Nami Tamaki (1988-)
    Japanese pop singer

If you like Nami…

Yumi— another Japanese name
Nori— shares Nami's Japanese roots
Rumi— shares Nami's Japanese roots
Kaomi— shares Nami's Japanese roots
Kayomi— shares Nami's Japanese roots

Explore names like Nami

By themejapanese
By meaningSea / Water

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Nami mean?

Nami is usually explained as meaning 'beautiful' and is most often linked with Japanese tradition.

How do you pronounce Nami?

It's commonly said NAH-mee /ˈnɑ.mi/.

Is Nami a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Nami is used as a girl name.

How popular is Nami?

In 2024, Nami ranked #1496 in the U.S. for girls, with 145 births recorded.

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