Wataru
Masculine Japanese name meaning "to traverse" or "to journey".
Name Census estimates that about 79 living Americans carry the first name Wataru. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wataru today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wataru births was 1919 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wataru. 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 Wataru. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
79
~ 1 in 4,338,663 Americans
Peak year
1919
15 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,938
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Wataru: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wataru from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 50 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wataru 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 Wataru during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Watarus live
Origin
Meaning and history of Wataru
The given name Wataru has its origins in Japanese culture and language. It is believed to have first emerged during the Heian period of Japanese history, which spanned from the late 8th to the late 12th centuries.
Wataru is derived from the Japanese verb "wataru," which means "to cross" or "to go beyond." The name carries a symbolic meaning of overcoming obstacles, progress, and achievement. It may have been initially given to children as a wish for them to overcome challenges and make advancements in life.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wataru can be found in historical documents and literary works from the Kamakura period, which followed the Heian period. One notable example is the mention of a samurai warrior named Wataru Sasaki in the 13th-century war chronicle "Hōgen Monogatari."
Throughout Japanese history, several individuals with the name Wataru have left their mark. One such figure was Wataru Watari (1835-1888), a prominent educator and scholar who played a significant role in modernizing Japan's education system during the Meiji Restoration.
Another notable individual was Wataru Misaka (1923-2019), a Japanese-American basketball player who became the first person of Asian descent to play in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later became the National Basketball Association (NBA).
In the realm of literature, Wataru Tsurumi (1936-2022) was a renowned Japanese author and essayist known for his works exploring social and political issues in post-war Japan.
The name Wataru has also been carried by prominent figures in the world of martial arts. Wataru Ohashi (1962-), a Japanese judoka, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and is considered one of the greatest judo practitioners of all time.
Additionally, Wataru Sakata (1947-2008) was a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist who gained fame in the United States and Mexico, where he competed under the ring name "The Great Muta."
While the name Wataru continues to be popular in Japan, its use has also spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the cultural influence of Japanese traditions and values.
People
Wataru + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wataru as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wataru: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wataru?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 79 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wataru 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 4,338,663 US residents.
Is Wataru a common name?
We classify Wataru as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 142 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wataru most popular?
The single biggest year for Wataru was 1919, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wataru is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wataru a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wataru in the SSA data are male. 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.