Itasha
An automotive subculture involving anime and manga characters decorating vehicles.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Itasha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Itasha today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Itasha births was 1980 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Itasha. 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 Itasha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1980
7 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1986 SSA rank
#11,587
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Itasha: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Itasha 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 Itasha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 | 12 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Itasha
The name Itasha originates from Japanese pop culture, specifically the automotive world of decorative vehicle art known as "Itasha" (literally meaning "Painful Car"). This term emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s to describe cars decorated with illustrations of anime or video game characters, often with intricate designs covering the entire body of the vehicle.
While the name Itasha itself is a relatively modern coinage, its roots can be traced back to the post-World War II era when Japanese youth culture embraced Western influences and developed a fascination with American hot rod culture. This led to the rise of elaborate customized cars, known as "Bosozoku," which paved the way for the Itasha phenomenon.
The earliest recorded instances of the term "Itasha" can be found in online forums and car enthusiast communities in the early 2000s. As the trend gained popularity, it became a recognizable subculture within the broader realm of Japanese automotive customization and pop culture fandom.
Throughout its history, the name Itasha has been closely associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to this art form. One notable figure is Hiroto Kyushima, a pioneer of the Itasha movement, who gained recognition for his meticulously decorated cars featuring characters from popular anime series like "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Love Live! Sunshine!!"
Another influential individual is Akira Nakai, often referred to as the "King of Itasha," who has been customizing vehicles with intricate anime-inspired designs since the early 2000s. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and media outlets, further popularizing the Itasha culture.
Additionally, the name Itasha is closely tied to events and gatherings where enthusiasts showcase their creations. One such event is the annual "Itasha Summit" held in Odaiba, Tokyo, which attracts hundreds of Itasha owners and fans from across Japan and beyond.
While the name Itasha may not have a deep historical lineage, it has become an integral part of modern Japanese pop culture, representing a unique intersection of automotive enthusiasm, artistic expression, and fandom. Its impact can be seen in the countless individuals who have embraced this art form, as well as the numerous events and communities dedicated to celebrating this vibrant subculture.
People
Itasha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Itasha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Itasha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Itasha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Itasha 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Itasha a common name?
We classify Itasha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Itasha most popular?
The single biggest year for Itasha was 1980, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Itasha is about 44 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 Itasha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Itasha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Itasha 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 Itasha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Itasha 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 Itasha 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 many people have Itasha as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.