Sayoko
A feminine Japanese name meaning "pure child" or "long-awaited child".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Sayoko. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sayoko today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sayoko births was 1919 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sayoko. 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 Sayoko. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1919
8 babies that year
Average age
-
1927 SSA rank
#4,220
Tracked since 1880
Origin
Meaning and history of Sayoko
The given name Sayoko originates from Japan and has its roots in the Japanese language. It is a feminine name that is thought to have emerged during the Heian period, which spanned from 794 to 1185 AD. The name Sayoko is believed to be a combination of two Japanese words, "saya" meaning "small" or "modest," and "ko" meaning "child."
One of the earliest known references to the name Sayoko can be found in the historical records of the Kamakura period, which lasted from 1185 to 1333 AD. During this era, a noblewoman named Sayoko Hojo was recorded as being a prominent figure in the Hojo clan, a powerful samurai family that ruled over parts of Japan.
In the realm of literature, the name Sayoko appears in the classic Japanese novel "The Tale of Genji," written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century. The novel features a character named Sayoko, who is described as a young woman of great beauty and intelligence.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sayoko. One example is Sayoko Kuroda (1899-1973), a renowned Japanese novelist and poet who wrote extensively about the experiences of women in pre-war Japan. Another prominent figure was Sayoko Nakao (1926-2018), a Japanese actress and singer who had a successful career spanning over six decades.
In the world of sports, Sayoko Yamasaki (born 1972) is a former Japanese gymnast who won a gold medal in the team competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. The name Sayoko has also been carried by notable figures in the arts, such as Sayoko Kinoshita (1942-2022), a celebrated Japanese actress and director known for her work in both film and theater.
Additionally, Sayoko Kuwata (1927-2006) was a Japanese entrepreneur and businesswoman who founded the cosmetics company Noevir Holdings Co., Ltd., which became a leading player in the Japanese beauty industry.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have been bestowed with the name Sayoko, a name that embodies the Japanese cultural heritage and has been passed down through generations.
People
Sayoko + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sayoko as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sayoko: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sayoko?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sayoko 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 - US residents.
Is Sayoko a common name?
We classify Sayoko as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sayoko most popular?
The single biggest year for Sayoko was 1919, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sayoko is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sayoko a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sayoko 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.