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Yukiko

♀ Girl

Pronounced yoo-KEE-koh /juˈkiːkoʊ/Medium

Meaning: Yukiko is a Japanese given name written in romaji here. Its meaning depends on the kanji a family chooses, so no single gloss fits every bearer; the yuki element commonly means 'snow' or 'happiness', and -ko is a very frequent ending in girls' names meaning 'child', giving readings like 'snow child' or 'happiness child'. Other kanji shift the sense, which is why it is described as character-dependent.Low

In 30 seconds: Yukiko is a Japanese girl's name, commonly read as 'snow child' or 'happiness child', carried by Japanese immigrant families in the early twentieth century (said yoo-KEE-koh).

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Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningYukiko is a Japanese given name written in romaji here. Its meaning depends on the kanji a family chooses, so no single gloss fits every bearer; the yuki element commonly means 'snow' or 'happiness', and -ko is a very frequent ending in girls' names meaning 'child', giving readings like 'snow child' or 'happiness child'. Other kanji shift the sense, which is why it is described as character-dependent.

U.S. rank (2022)#13531 ↗ Rising

2022 U.S. births7 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1924

Total births (all-time)≈ 485

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

Yukiko is a classic Japanese woman's name pairing a yuki element, often 'snow' or 'happiness', with the common feminine ending -ko, 'child'. It appears in United States records chiefly among the Issei and Nisei, the first Japanese immigrants and their American-born daughters, whose West Coast community grew in the decades before the Second World War.

Its American use was small and tied to that immigrant cohort, drawing only a couple dozen girls a year even at its high around 1924, though scattered use trailed on much later. A girl named Yukiko in those early years belongs to a great-grandmother's generation now, her name marking a distinct chapter of Japanese-American history.

Did you know? The -ko ending of Yukiko means 'child' and closes a great many traditional Japanese girls' names; the yuki part can mean either 'snow' or 'happiness' depending on the kanji.

Overall data confidence 50%

References - Yukiko — Japanese given name (romaji); meaning depends on kanji; commonly 'snow/happiness child', -ko 'child'; Issei/Nisei cohort

Variations

YukieYuki

Nicknames

YukiKiko

Famous Bearers

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If you like Yukiko…

Hanako— another traditional Japanese -ko girl's name

Sachiko— a like Japanese name ending in -ko 'child'

Keiko— another Japanese girl's name of the cohort

Aiko— a familiar Japanese -ko name of the era

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Yukiko mean?

It is a Japanese name whose meaning depends on the kanji chosen; common readings are 'snow child' or 'happiness child', with -ko meaning 'child'.

How do you pronounce Yukiko?

It's said yoo-KEE-koh /juˈkiːkoʊ/, three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Yukiko a boy or girl name?

Yukiko is used as a girl's name.

Is Yukiko a popular name?

No, it was always rare in America, carried by Japanese immigrant families and seeing only faint use in the early twentieth century, around the nineteen-twenties.