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Saburo

♂ Boy

Pronounced sah-BOO-roh /sɑːˈbuːroʊ/Medium

Meaning: Saburo is a traditional Japanese boy's name meaning 'third son', from a form tied to three joined with 'ro', a common ending for boys' names marking birth order. It was widely used to name a family's third boy. Its United States records belong to the Issei and Nisei Japanese-American families of the early twentieth century.Medium

In 30 seconds: Saburo is a Japanese name meaning 'third son'. Its early American use marks the Issei and Nisei community (said sah-BOO-roh).

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Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningSaburo is a traditional Japanese boy's name meaning 'third son', from a form tied to three joined with 'ro', a common ending for boys' names marking birth order. It was widely used to name a family's third boy. Its United States records belong to the Issei and Nisei Japanese-American families of the early twentieth century.

U.S. rank (1937)#3929 ↘ Falling

1937 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1925

Total births (all-time)≈ 253

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

Saburo is a classic Japanese birth-order name, 'third son', with the -ro ending shared by Ichiro and Jiro. It reached United States records through Issei immigrants and their Nisei children in the early twentieth century.

Saburo's American span is short: it appears from the nineteen-tens and crests around 1925, then fades by the late nineteen-thirties, ahead of the wartime incarceration that reshaped Japanese-American naming. Only a small number of boys a year ever carried it.

Did you know? Saburo literally names a family's third son, part of a Japanese set that runs Ichiro, Jiro, Saburo for first, second and third boys.

Overall data confidence 72%

References - Saburo — Japanese 'third son'; birth-order name; Issei/Nisei cohort; romaji only

Variations

SaburohZaburoSaboroSaburou

Nicknames

SabBuro

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If you like Saburo…

Ichiro— the 'first son' name of the set

Jiro— the 'second son' companion name

Tadashi— another Japanese boy's name of the era

Katsumi— a Japanese name of the same community

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Saburo mean?

Saburo is a Japanese name traditionally meaning 'third son', part of a birth-order set with Ichiro and Jiro.

How do you pronounce Saburo?

It's said sah-BOO-roh /sɑːˈbuːroʊ/, three syllables.

Is Saburo a boy or girl name?

Saburo is a boy's name.

Is Saburo a popular name?

No, Saburo was always rare in America, carried by Japanese immigrant families and peaking in the mid nineteen-twenties.