The “International Handbook of Forenames,” used at registry offices in Germany, lists existing names together with their gender and language of origin, as seen in Berlin on July 20, 2026. (Mainichi/Tomoko Igarashi)
BERLIN (Mainichi) — “Ikea,” “Fanta” and “Chanel.” These names of a major furniture retailer, a soft drink and a famous brand, respectively, have all also been given to babies in Germany. But joining this brand lineup, names drawn from Japanese such as “Taro” and “Kasai” are also said to be proving popular overseas in recent years.
Japan’s law reform brings “kira-kira names” to global attention
In Japan, the revised Family Register Act took effect in May 2025, requiring the readings of names to be added in family registers in the phonetic katakana syllabary. For so-called “kira-kira” names, or “sparkling” names with unorthodox readings, including foreign-style names and character names assigned to kanji, the revised law set a standard that readings differing from the original readings of the kanji must be “generally recognized as readings of characters used in names.”
The legal revision was reported around the world, including by The New York Times. The German magazine Der Spiegel, in an article with a headlined translating as “Japan introduces stricter rules for children’s names,” presented names symbolized in kanji for “Pikachu,” “Nike” and “Kitty” as examples of kira-kira names.
But as the German examples above show, “eccentric” names also exist in Europe and the United States.
Name researcher Knud Bielefeld is seen in Ahrensburg, northern Germany, on July 3, 2026. (Mainichi/Tomoko Igarashi)
According to Knud Bielefeld, a name researcher in Ahrensburg in northern Germany, such names are rare but are sometimes chosen out of a desire to “give a child a special name.” This appears to have something in common with parents in Japan who give their children kira-kira names.
According to Western media reports, there was a child in Britain in 2024 named “Everest,” the same as the world’s highest mountain. In the United States, “Kasai” is gaining popularity as a boy’s name meaning fire, and several hundred children were given the name in 2025. It is also said to be derived from the Japanese word “kasai,” meaning a destructive fire.
Some cases not recognized by courts
In some cases, however, courts have rejected unusual names, citing concerns including the risk that children could become targets of bullying.
In France in 2015, the court rejected the name “Nutella,” the same as the popular chocolate spread, for a girl. In Sweden in 1996, there was reportedly a case in which parents tried to have a long name made up of 43 letters of the alphabet with no vowels and a number read as “Albin,” but it was not approved.
(Japanese original by Tomoko Igarashi, Berlin Bureau)