Takara
A feminine Japanese name meaning "treasure" or "jewel".
Name Census estimates that about 1,416 living Americans carry the first name Takara. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Takara today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Takara births was 1983 (78 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Takara. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 242,058 Americans
Peak year
1983
78 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,973
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Takara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Takara from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 463 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Takara 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 Takara during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Takaras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Florida, California, New York recorded the most babies named Takara, while Ohio, Texas, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Takara
The given name Takara originated from the Japanese language and culture. It is derived from the Japanese word "takara," which means "treasure" or "jewel." This name has been used in Japan for centuries, possibly dating back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE).
In Japanese mythology, the term "takara" is often associated with the "Takara-bune," a magical treasure ship that is believed to bring good fortune and wealth. The name Takara may have been chosen for children in the hopes that they would be viewed as a precious treasure or that they would live a prosperous life.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Takara can be found in the "Konjaku Monogatarishū," a collection of Japanese folk tales and stories from the late Heian period. In this work, there is a character named Takara, although it is unclear if this was a real person or a fictional character.
Throughout Japanese history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Takara. One such person was Takara Tengū (1572-1645), a renowned Buddhist monk and calligrapher during the Edo period. Another was Takara Kuniyo (1777-1835), a prominent scholar and historian of the late Edo period.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), a famous geisha and courtesan from Kyoto was known as Takara (1836-1898). Her real name was Okane, but she adopted the name Takara, which contributed to its popularity during that time.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the name Takara was Takara Sachiko (1924-2008), a celebrated Japanese actress who appeared in numerous films and television series throughout her career.
Another notable figure was Takara Yōko (1948-2023), a renowned Japanese singer and actress who gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s with her hit songs and television appearances.
People
Takara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Takara as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Takara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Takara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,416 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Takara 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 242,058 US residents.
Is Takara a common name?
We classify Takara as "Rare". It ranks above 92.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,466 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Takara most popular?
The single biggest year for Takara was 1983, when 78 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Takara is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Takara a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Takara 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.