Kako
Meaning
meaning kanji-dependent, often glossed 'fragrant child'; famously borne by Princess Kako of Akishino
The story
The Japanese name Kako changes meaning with the kanji used to write it, and is often glossed as a fragrant child. It belongs most famously to Princess Kako of Akishino, granddaughter of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and younger sister of former Princess Mako, a figure skater in her school years who went on to study at International Christian University in Tokyo and the University of Leeds in England. She has become one of the most visible young members of Japan's imperial family, known especially for delivering speeches in Japanese Sign Language and for her advocacy for deaf communities. Outside Japan the name is scarcely used at all: American records show only the barest recent trace, which makes Kako one of those names a family can borrow knowing it comes with a single gracious public bearer and very little company.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Kako has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
20 people · the #124,180 first name in Brazil · median age 36
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
The Kako deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Kako truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Kako fits with your family’s names and surname.
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