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Yoshio

♂ Boy

Pronounced YOH-shee-oh /ˈjoʊ.ʃi.oʊ/Medium

Meaning: Yoshio is a Japanese boy's name most often written with characters meaning 'good' or 'righteous' (yoshi) and 'man' (o) — 'good man' or 'righteous man,' though the exact sense depends on the kanji chosen. It appears in U.S. records with early Japanese-American families.Medium

In 30 seconds: Yoshio is a Japanese boy's name meaning 'good man' or 'righteous man' (said 'YOH-shee-oh'). An early Japanese-American name peaking around 1921.

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Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningYoshio is a Japanese boy's name most often written with characters meaning 'good' or 'righteous' (yoshi) and 'man' (o) — 'good man' or 'righteous man,' though the exact sense depends on the kanji chosen. It appears in U.S. records with early Japanese-American families.

U.S. rank (2021)#12090 ↗ Rising

2021 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1921

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,175

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

Yoshio is a Japanese name meaning 'good' or 'righteous man,' the final -o marking a male name. It appears in American data among Issei and Nisei families in the early twentieth century, reaching its U.S. high around 1921.

Yoshio thinned after the mid-century — the wartime internment era and steady Anglicization both pushed Japanese-American families toward English first names — though it has never fully vanished. It sits with Hiroshi, Kenji, and Masao among the classic Japanese men's names of that generation.

Did you know? Yoshio's meaning shifts with its kanji — 'good man,' 'righteous man,' or 'joyful man' — because Japanese names encode their sense in the written characters, which U.S. birth records never captured.

Overall data confidence 66%

References — Yoshio — Japanese 'good/righteous man'; early Japanese-American cohort

Variations

Yoshi

Nicknames

Yoshi

Famous Bearers

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If you like Yoshio…

Hiroshi— a like classic Japanese boy's name of the same era

Kenji— another traditional Japanese men's name of the cohort

Takeshi— a same-generation Japanese given name in the U.S.

Masao— an -o Japanese boy's name in the same style

Explore names like Yoshio

By themeheritage japanese immigrant-era

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Yoshio mean?

Yoshio is a Japanese name meaning 'good man' or 'righteous man,' with the exact sense set by its kanji.

How do you pronounce Yoshio?

It's said YOH-shee-oh /ˈjoʊ.ʃi.oʊ/ — three syllables, stress on the first.

Is Yoshio a boy or girl name?

Yoshio is used as a boy's name, from Japanese.

How popular is Yoshio?

Yoshio is rare in the U.S. It was an early Japanese-American name that peaked around the nineteen-twenties and has been uncommon since.