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Noboru

♂ Boy

Pronounced noh-BOH-roo /no.boˈru/Medium

Meaning: Noboru is a Japanese boys' name meaning 'to rise', 'to climb' or 'to ascend', an aspirational name expressing hopes that a son will rise in life. Written with characters carrying that sense, it is rendered here in romaji, and appears in the American record among early Japanese immigrant families.Medium

In 30 seconds: Noboru is a Japanese name meaning 'to rise' or 'to ascend' (said 'noh-BOH-roo'). Its brief U.S. record reflects the early Japanese-American community before World War II.

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Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningNoboru is a Japanese boys' name meaning 'to rise', 'to climb' or 'to ascend', an aspirational name expressing hopes that a son will rise in life. Written with characters carrying that sense, it is rendered here in romaji, and appears in the American record among early Japanese immigrant families.

U.S. rank (1945)#3641 ↗ Rising

1945 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1920

Total births (all-time)≈ 484

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

Noboru is a traditional Japanese given name meaning 'to rise' or 'ascend', a hopeful choice for a son. It reached the United States with Issei immigrants and their Nisei children in the early twentieth century, and appears in the American record almost entirely within that community.

Its short span in the record — clustered in the decades before the Second World War — reflects that small immigrant cohort, whose lives were gravely disrupted by wartime internment; recorded American use of the name largely ends in that period. It reads as a heritage Japanese name and remained rare here rather than entering wider American use.

Did you know? Noboru is an aspirational name — its sense of 'rising' or 'ascending' expresses a family's hope that a son will climb and flourish in life.

Overall data confidence 70%

References — Noboru — Japanese 'to rise/ascend'; Issei/Nisei-era name; romaji only

Variations

NoburuNoboro

Nicknames

Nobu

Famous Bearers

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If you like Noboru…

Isamu— a fellow traditional Japanese boys' name of the era

Minoru— another aspirational Japanese name, 'to bear fruit'

Shigeru— another Japanese name

Hikaru— a similarly popular pick

Subaru— lands in the same popularity range

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Noboru mean?

Noboru is a Japanese name meaning 'to rise' or 'to ascend', an aspirational choice for a son.

How do you pronounce Noboru?

It's said noh-BOH-roo /no.boˈru/ — three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Noboru a boy or girl name?

Noboru is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Noboru?

Noboru is rare in the U.S., a Japanese heritage name most seen in the early Japanese-American community.