Home › Baby Names Directory › Shigeru

Shigeru

♂ Boy

Pronounced shee-GEH-roo /ʃiˈɡɛ.ruː/Medium

Meaning: Shigeru is a Japanese given name meaning 'to grow thick' or 'luxuriant, flourishing', an image of vigorous, abundant growth; it appears in early American records among Japanese immigrant (Issei and Nisei) families.Medium

In 30 seconds: Shigeru is a Japanese boy's name meaning 'to grow thick, flourishing' (said 'shee-GEH-roo'). It marks the early Japanese-American community.

💕 Browse more names

Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningShigeru is a Japanese given name meaning 'to grow thick' or 'luxuriant, flourishing', an image of vigorous, abundant growth; it appears in early American records among Japanese immigrant (Issei and Nisei) families.

U.S. rank (1938)#3965 ↘ Falling

1938 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1921

Total births (all-time)≈ 591

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

Shigeru is a Japanese name meaning 'to grow thick' or 'luxuriant', evoking flourishing, abundant growth. It reached American birth records through Issei and Nisei families in the early twentieth century, a small community concentrated on the West Coast.

Its brief U.S. span, roughly the nineteen-tens into the nineteen-thirties, mirrors that community's history: the wartime internment of Japanese Americans in the nineteen-forties disrupted many families and naming patterns. As a given name here it was always rare, and it remains far more familiar in Japan itself.

Did you know? Shigeru appears in U.S. records only in a narrow early-twentieth-century window; its span reflects the pre-war Japanese-American community, whose West Coast families were forced into wartime internment in the nineteen-forties.

Overall data confidence 72%

References — Shigeru — Japanese given name; 'to grow thick / flourishing'; Issei/Nisei cohort

Variations

Shigueru

Nicknames

Shig

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Shigeru…

Hiroshi— another Japanese boys' name of the same immigrant-era cohort

Kenji— a like Japanese given name familiar from Nisei families

Minoru— another Japanese name with a nature-growth meaning of the period

Subaru— a fellow Japanese choice

Hikaru— echoes that soft -ru sound

Explore names like Shigeru

By themerare heritage japanese

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Shigeru mean?

Shigeru is a Japanese name meaning 'to grow thick' or 'luxuriant, flourishing'.

How do you pronounce Shigeru?

It's said shee-GEH-roo /ʃiˈɡɛ.ruː/ — three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Shigeru a boy or girl name?

Shigeru is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Shigeru?

Shigeru has always been rare in the U.S., recorded mainly among early Japanese-American families.