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Sumiko

♀ Girl

Pronounced soo-MEE-koh /suːˈmiː.koʊ/Medium

Meaning: Sumiko is a traditional Japanese girl's name, usually read 'child of clarity' or 'child of purity', from sumi (as in 'clear, pure') plus the classic feminine suffix -ko, 'child'. The exact sense depends on the written characters chosen by each family.Medium

In 30 seconds: Sumiko is a Japanese girl's name, often 'child of clarity or purity', from sumi plus -ko 'child' (said 'soo-MEE-koh').

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Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningSumiko is a traditional Japanese girl's name, usually read 'child of clarity' or 'child of purity', from sumi (as in 'clear, pure') plus the classic feminine suffix -ko, 'child'. The exact sense depends on the written characters chosen by each family.

U.S. rank (2011)#19240 ↗ Rising

2011 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1927

Total births (all-time)≈ 618

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

Sumiko is a classic Japanese feminine name pairing the suffix -ko, 'child', with sumi, whose written forms can mean 'clear' or 'pure', giving readings like 'child of clarity' or 'child of purity'. As with all Japanese names, the precise meaning follows the characters each family selects.

In American records Sumiko belongs first to the Issei and Nisei, the immigrant and second-generation Japanese-American families of the early twentieth century, with a modest high in the late nineteen-twenties. That generation lived through the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans, and the name remained a quiet heritage choice thereafter. Anyone named Sumiko today most often honors a Japanese-American grandmother.

Did you know? Sumiko carries real family history: its American span begins with the pre-World War II Japanese-American cohort, and it crested around 1927 with only a few dozen girls a year before thinning after mid-century.

Overall data confidence 65%

References - Sumiko — Japanese sumi 'clear/pure' + -ko 'child'

Variations

SumiSumieKimiko

Nicknames

Sumi

Famous Bearers

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If you like Sumiko…

Kimiko— a like -ko Japanese girl's name of the cohort

Yoshiko— another classic Japanese -ko name

Michiko— a comparable Japanese-American girl's name

Shizuko— a fellow Japanese choice

Emiko— shares Sumiko's Japanese roots

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Sumiko mean?

Sumiko is a Japanese girl's name, commonly read 'child of clarity' or 'child of purity', from sumi plus -ko, 'child'.

How do you pronounce Sumiko?

It's said soo-MEE-koh /suːˈmiː.koʊ/ - three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Sumiko a boy or girl name?

Sumiko is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Sumiko?

Sumiko is a Japanese-American heritage name whose U.S. use began with the pre-war cohort and crested in the late nineteen-twenties.