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Home › Baby Names Directory › Wataru

Wataru

♂ Boy

Pronounced wah-TAH-roo /waˈta.ru/Medium

Meaning: Wataru is a Japanese boy's name built on the verb wataru, 'to cross over' or 'to ferry across,' suggesting passage and reaching the far shore. As with many Japanese names, the exact nuance depends on the kanji a family selects, but the core image of crossing over runs through them.Low

In 30 seconds: Wataru is a Japanese boy's name meaning 'to cross over' or 'ferry across.' It appears in early US records around 1919 (said wah-TAH-roo).
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Origin MediumJapanese
MeaningWataru is a Japanese boy's name built on the verb wataru, 'to cross over' or 'to ferry across,' suggesting passage and reaching the far shore. As with many Japanese names, the exact nuance depends on the kanji a family selects, but the core image of crossing over runs through them.
U.S. rank (2015)#13938 ↘ Falling
2015 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1919
Total births (all-time)≈ 142

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 191919152015

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

Wataru is a Japanese masculine name from the verb wataru, 'to cross over' or 'ferry across,' its precise shade set by the chosen kanji. It appears in US Social Security records among Japanese-American families as early as the nineteen-tens, always a heritage name carried from Japan rather than an American coinage.

It was never common in the United States, given to only about fifteen boys a year even at its peak around 1919, with scattered records long after. A boy named Wataru then would belong to his great-grandparents' generation today.

Did you know? The verb behind Wataru, 'to cross over,' gives the name a quiet sense of journey and arrival - of safely reaching the other side.
Overall data confidence 50%
References - Wataru — Japanese given name; verb wataru 'to cross over'; kanji-dependent nuance; romaji only, no kanji.

Variations

WataroWataruo

Nicknames

WataTaru

Famous Bearers

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If you like Wataru…

Minoru— a like Japanese boy's name of the same early cohort
Mamoru— a shared -oru sound and Japanese origin
Satoru— another Japanese verb-based boy's name
Mitsuru— echoes that soft -ru sound
Noboru— shares the -ru ending

Explore names like Wataru

By themerareheritagejapanesemasculine

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Wataru mean?

It is a Japanese boy's name from the verb wataru, 'to cross over' or 'ferry across'; the exact nuance depends on the kanji.

How do you pronounce Wataru?

It is said wah-TAH-roo /waˈta.ru/ - three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Wataru a boy or girl name?

Wataru is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Wataru?

It was always rare in the United States, given to only about fifteen boys a year even at its peak in the nineteen-tens.

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