Hatsuyo
A feminine Japanese name meaning "firstborn child in the family".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Hatsuyo. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hatsuyo today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hatsuyo births was 1917 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hatsuyo. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hatsuyo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1917
8 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1925 SSA rank
#4,649
Tracked since 1903
Popularity
Hatsuyo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hatsuyo from the 1900s through to the 1920s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 23 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hatsuyo 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 Hatsuyo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hatsuyos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hatsuyo
The name Hatsuyo has its origins in Japan, where it has been used as a given name for centuries. It is derived from the Japanese words "hatsu," meaning "first" or "initial," and "yo," meaning "generation" or "world." Together, the name can be interpreted to mean "first generation" or "beginning of the world."
In ancient Japanese culture, names were often chosen to reflect the hopes and aspirations of parents for their children. Hatsuyo was likely bestowed upon a child with the intention of representing a fresh start, a new beginning, or the dawn of a new era.
While the exact origin of the name Hatsuyo is unclear, it has been documented in various historical records and texts throughout Japanese history. One notable reference can be found in the Kojiki, one of the oldest extant chronicles in Japan, which dates back to the early 8th century.
The earliest recorded example of the name Hatsuyo can be traced back to the Nara period (710-794 AD), when it was given to a noblewoman who served as a court attendant during the reign of Emperor Shomu.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hatsuyo:
1. Hatsuyo Narahashi (1904-1984), a pioneering Japanese lawyer and activist who fought for women's rights and gender equality.
2. Hatsuyo Matsui (1923-2004), a renowned Japanese artist known for her intricate woodblock prints and paintings depicting traditional Japanese scenes.
3. Hatsuyo Sugawara (1939-2018), a celebrated Japanese actress and singer who gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s for her roles in numerous films and television dramas.
4. Hatsuyo Ishii (1885-1975), a Japanese educator and advocate for women's education, who established several schools and educational institutions throughout her career.
5. Hatsuyo Endo (1907-1998), a Japanese writer and novelist whose works often explored themes of love, family, and the struggles of women in modern Japanese society.
While the name Hatsuyo may not be as commonly used in contemporary times, it remains a beautiful and meaningful name deeply rooted in Japanese culture and history.
People
Hatsuyo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hatsuyo 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
Hatsuyo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hatsuyo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hatsuyo 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Hatsuyo a common name?
We classify Hatsuyo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 48 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hatsuyo most popular?
The single biggest year for Hatsuyo was 1917, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hatsuyo is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hatsuyo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hatsuyo a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hatsuyo 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.
Is Hatsuyo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hatsuyo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hatsuyo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Hatsuyo?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Hatsuyo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.