Mako
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Meaning
meaning kanji-dependent, often glossed 'true, sincere child'; famously borne by former Princess Mako of Akishino, who relinquished her title in 2021
The story
In Japanese, Mako takes its meaning from the kanji a family chooses, and is often glossed as a true, sincere child. The world came to know it through former Princess Mako of Akishino, the emperor's niece, who set off a national debate by choosing love over rank: after a long engagement scrutinized by the press, she married her college sweetheart Kei Komuro, a commoner, in 2021, gave up her imperial title as the law required, declined the customary payment offered to departing princesses, and moved with him to New York to live as a private citizen. Whatever one makes of a fairy tale run in reverse, the name now carries that quiet firmness with it. In US records Mako remains genuinely rare, with only a whisper of recent use, an uncommon choice with a very modern story attached.
How popular is Mako around the world?
In the United States, 186 babies were named Mako between 2020 and 2025.
Mako is on the official records of the United States and England and Wales.
United States
1 in 120,000
In the United States, 186 babies were named Mako between 2020 and 2025.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
England and Wales
1 in 200,000
In England and Wales, 3 boys named Mako were born in 2025, ranked 5,137th among boys that year.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
last on record 2020
Mako is not on the 2024 record for Canada, where names under 5 in a year are excluded at source.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Montevideo City
last on record 1990
Mako is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
South Australia
last on record 2015
Mako is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Mako
Most people given the name Mako in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Mako deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Mako 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 Mako fits with your family’s names and surname.
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