Haruka
A Japanese name meaning "remote" or "distant".
Name Census estimates that about 456 living Americans carry the first name Haruka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Haruka today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Haruka births was 2003 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Haruka. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
456
~ 1 in 751,654 Americans
Peak year
2003
24 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,043
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Haruka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Haruka from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 165 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Haruka by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Haruka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Harukas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Haruka
The name Haruka has its origins in Japanese culture and language. It is a unisex name that can be used for both boys and girls. The name is derived from the Japanese words "haru" meaning "spring" and "ka" meaning "fragrance" or "bloom." Together, the name Haruka symbolizes the beauty and freshness of spring.
The earliest recorded use of the name Haruka dates back to the Heian period in Japan, which lasted from 794 to 1185 CE. During this time, the name was often given to children born in the spring months, as a way to celebrate the season's renewal and the blossoming of nature.
In Japanese literature, the name Haruka appears in several ancient texts and poetic works. One notable mention is in the famous anthology of Japanese poetry, the "Kokinshū," compiled in the early 10th century CE. In this collection, a poem by the renowned poet Ono no Komachi references a person named Haruka.
Throughout Japanese history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Haruka. One of the earliest was Haruka no Tsubone, a Japanese court lady and poet who lived during the late Heian period in the 12th century CE. She was known for her contributions to Japanese waka poetry.
Another famous Haruka was Haruka Ayase, a Japanese actress born in 1985. She has appeared in numerous films and television dramas, and is widely recognized for her talent and beauty.
In the world of sports, Haruka Nagai is a Japanese professional soccer player born in 1992. She has represented Japan in international competitions and played for various clubs in Japan's professional league.
Haruka Fukushima, born in 1987, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. She gained popularity as a member of the Japanese idol group AKB48 and later pursued a successful solo career.
Haruka Weiser was a Japanese-American student at the University of Texas at Austin. Tragically, she was murdered on campus in 2016 at the age of 18, sparking discussions about campus safety and violence against women.
While the name Haruka has Japanese roots, it has also been adopted by people of various cultural backgrounds around the world, reflecting the name's universal appeal and the globalization of naming trends.
People
Haruka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Haruka as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Haruka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Haruka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 456 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Haruka going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 751,654 US residents.
Is Haruka a common name?
We classify Haruka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 466 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Haruka most popular?
The single biggest year for Haruka was 2003, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Haruka is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Haruka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Haruka in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.