Declining since 2020, #10,917 for girls today.
Popularity of Hikari since 1993
Babies named Hikari per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 30 |
| 2000s | 52 |
| 2010s | 110 |
| 2020s | 85 |
Meaning & origin
Hikari is a Japanese name meaning light or radiance. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1993 and has remained rare. Its peak popularity came in 2021, and since 2020 the name has been falling in use. In 2025 it ranked 10,917th, given to roughly 1 in 200,908 newborns. Hikari has not been concentrated in any particular state. As a word name drawn from Japanese culture, it carries a poetic and luminous quality, though its adoption in the English-speaking world is still very limited.
Hikari is a Japanese word meaning 'light' or 'radiance.' It has been used as a given name in Japan, often for girls, though it is also unisex. The name's use in the United States appears to be a modern adoption influenced by Japanese culture and the popularity of Japanese media.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Hika, Kari
Sibling names for Hikari
Names that share Hikari's style, for a brother or sister.
