[Japan] Names and Surnames in Edo period Japan vs. modern period Japan

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by slipthejab, Aug 18, 2007.

  1. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Does anyone have any idea how different the names and surnames of todays Japan are compared with those during the Edo period?

    As an example... in the western world we've had names like Smith and Wright and Miller and the like for a very long time... easily as far back as the founding of America and I'm sure if you trace them back in England they go back hundreds of years before that.

    I suspect that surnames there is much more continuity than with first names - first names being prone to fashion. Different trends in names can be seen even today (eg. people trying to name their kids '@' or '4real'. Many names that were popular in the '20s - '50s for both male and female aren't all that popular anymore... or at least I don't generally run across people from my generation and younger with them.

    eg.
    female first names:
    Prudence
    Constance
    Gertrude
    Hilda
    Mildred
    Dorothy
    Helen
    Ruth
    Frances


    male first names: Bob
    Bud
    Hank
    Dale
    Max
    Oliver
    Emmett
    Humprhey
    Rufus
    Willy
    Mortimer
    Horace

    So as you can see... first names are much more given to fashion than would be a surname that is much more anchored in lineage.

    Sooooo.....

    Would this be the same for Japan? If I wanted to contrast and compare the names (both surname and first name) of Edo period Japan and modern day Japan... where would I start? :confused:

    Is anyone familiar enough with Japanese culture to say one way or the other if first names were subject to the same sort of trends that western names are? :confused:

    Example:

    Hasekura Tsunenaga (see image below)

    Surname: Hasekura
    First name: Tsunenaga

    While I know that the surname is still in use... would the first name Tsunenaga be considered and 'old fashioned' or archaic first name by todays standards... or would it be perfectly acceptable with no hint of a certain time period in Japanese history? :confused:

    As an example if I was writing a fictional piece that was set in the edo period I'd run into real trouble if any of the characters had names that really weren't in use at the time. Much the same way someone writing a modern day story or novel would come off as silly with teenagers named Hilda or Humphrey.

    Does anyone know if Japanese first names are subject to the same sort of trendiness that western names are? :confused:
     

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    Last edited: Aug 18, 2007
  2. MatsunoCj

    MatsunoCj Jujitsu rookie

  3. fifthchamber

    fifthchamber Valued Member

    There are of course "fads" here with names..Samurai names aren't used, or if they are it's a slight joke or something rather special..So no "-nosuke" or "-iemon" anymore..That said, the use of good solid names like Takashige and Masakuni aren't so rare as to be special..Perhaps among the younger kids names like "Kazuki" are somewhat more popular, but names aren't so inflexible..And the kanji are often chosen to be more "impressive" and imply different things as well..
    It's a cool subject..You can tell a man whose parents read more about history before he was born faily easily though..
    Surnames haven't changed at all..Since the end of the Meiji period the names have remained roughly the same..A lot of "Takahashi", "Nishida", "Takagi" etc...Surnames are less likely to change in that way..
    Personal names however change depending on the parents and the crazes they grew up with in many cases..I like Kazuki as a name..
     
  4. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Ah good stuff fellas... exactly the sort of input I was looking for. I was beginning to worry that I might not get any answers here at MAP for this. Luckily I was wrong. :)
     
  5. ember

    ember Valued Member

    So would "Kazamoto" be traditional, or were his parents more likely fans of Western literature?
     
  6. fifthchamber

    fifthchamber Valued Member

    Kazamoto? Or Kazumoto?

    It would be a fairly traditional styled name, but not so bad in the bigger scheme of names..The best I think I have seen is Shigetoshi 重利 but of course, that's not so unlikely or hard to find either..

    I think in general, names rely more upon decent meanings to be used widely or scarcely...Many kanji means many ways to write the name, and sound alone shouldn't really be the best way to guess where the name choice came from....

    Unless someone chose "Shingen" as a name..Which I would have to put down to being rather enamoured of Takeda..Or deeply buddhist..

    Names are cool here I reckon, girls names are somewhat simpler as they usually have some form of reference to beauty or a season, or peace and harmony...Or "child" ( 子 )... A little easier..
     
  7. Bronze Statue

    Bronze Statue Valued Member

    Eh? Never heard of -iemon, but I've known Yusuke's, Eisuke's, and Gonosuke's who were around my age, and I ain't that old. But they were in America, so maybe it doesn't so much matter.
     
  8. fifthchamber

    fifthchamber Valued Member

    "-nosuke" is still used, although not widely...Since it's meaning is "a help to-" it's quite a nice image for a parent to want to give the kids mostly..It's used..But nowhere near common among the younger generations..

    And "-iemon" or just "-emon" are very classical samurai names, the title implies being a "protector of the Emperor", and as such these are also hardly ever used..

    Of the two "-nosuke" is certainly preferred...But even then, I'd have to try harder to find a man under about 30 with that as his first name..I teach over 1000 students and one has that in his name...He was introduced to me as being a "samurai"...It's not so widespread..

    Oh!

    The usage of the kanji "助" is not rare at all!It was only in conjunction with "no-suke" that it becomes rather rarer..If you see what I mean?THAT particular combination seems rather classical to most modern parents..But "Suke" on it's own simply means help (Or various other meanings depending on kanji) and there is of course no problems with using that..
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2007
  9. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Brilliant stuff guys... exactly the sort of input I've been looking for. :)
     
  10. RickMatz

    RickMatz New Member

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