Makoto
Masculine · “Japanese "sincerity”
Makoto means sincerity, and in Japanese that is a substantial word rather than a mild one. Makoto translates the Confucian virtue of truthfulness and integrity — the quality of a person whose inside and outside are the same — and it has been a men's name expressing that ideal for a long time.
How old is the name Makoto?
Makoto first appears in US birth records in 1915 — 110 years ago. The typical Makoto alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 400 people named Makoto are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Makoto most popular?
Makoto peaked in 1922, reaching #1952 nationally. Today it ranks #7194, 5,242 places below that high. See the whole 1922 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From 誠 (makoto) to Makoto
The story of Makoto
Virtue names are a coherent category in Japanese naming, with Makoto for sincerity, Isamu for courage, Kiyoshi for purity and Osamu for discipline, and they were particularly common in the first half of the twentieth century. Makoto's 1922 American peak sits in the pre-war Japanese American community, before the mass incarceration of 1942, and the name's American figures fall away sharply afterward — a demographic shadow visible in the data itself. It has remained ordinary in Japan throughout.
Meaning
Japanese "sincerity, truth, integrity"
Written most often with the character 誠, which combines the elements for word and for completion — a word carried through to completion, which is a fair picture of what the virtue means. The word is in ordinary Japanese use for truth and sincerity. Other characters are possible and shade the meaning, as always in Japanese naming.
How the name formed
- 誠makoto
- Makoto
Related forms: 誠 · まこと
Pronouncing Makoto
MAH-koh-toh
Three syllables with every vowel short and clear and none reduced. Japanese has pitch accent rather than stress. English speakers often say muh-KOH-toh, reducing the first vowel and adding stress to the second.
Nicknames for Makoto
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1915
- Most boys named
- 192217 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1952reached in 1922
- Change vs 2024
- +22.2%11 in 2025, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Makoto in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- 誠 in Japanese — same name
- まこと in Japanese — spelling variant
Makotos among us
people named Makoto are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 155,280 born in 2025 was named Makoto
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Makoto sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Makoto beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Makoto in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled, weighty and genuinely admirable.
- Every syllable is open, which makes it easy in English.
- Mako is a natural and widely understood short form.
- English speakers reduce the first vowel and add a stress Japanese does not have.
- It is used for both sexes in Japan, with a male skew.
- The written character carries information the romanisation loses.
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Makoto
Masculine · #7194 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Makotos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Makoto are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Makoto in 2025?
- Makoto ranks #7194 among US boy names in 2025, with 11 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Makoto?
- About 1 in every 155,280 US boys born in 2025 was named Makoto — 11 in all.
- Will my child share the name Makoto with classmates?
- Makoto will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Makoto
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Junius#7194 · Orie#7194 · Shade#7194 · Chesley#7194 · Joesph#7194 · Lofton#7194 · Macon#7194 · Benjiman#7194
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Makoto? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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