Sumiko
Feminine
Sumiko is a Japanese name brought to America by Japanese families early in the twentieth century. Its sound belongs to the ink of Japanese brush painting and to the river of Tokyo's oldest fireworks.
How old is the name Sumiko?
Sumiko first appears in US birth records in 1912 — 113 years ago. The typical Sumiko alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 200 people named Sumiko are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sumiko most popular?
Sumiko peaked in 1927, reaching #1261 nationally. See the whole 1927 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Sumiko
In Japanese, sumi is also the word for the black ink of calligraphy and ink painting, made by grinding a stick of pressed soot and glue on a stone with water; a different character from the name's, but the same sound. In 1733 the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune held a fireworks display on the Sumida River in Edo to honor the victims of famine and epidemic, and the Sumida River fireworks are still one of the great summer nights of Tokyo. Sumiko was given by Japanese families in America in the early twentieth century.
Meaningscholars disagree
Usually 'clear child' or 'pure child'
Sumiko is most often written with characters meaning 'clear' or 'pure' and 'child', but other characters with the same sound are used; the meaning depends on the family's choice.
Pronouncing Sumiko
SOO-mee-koh
Three even syllables in Japanese.
Nicknames for Sumiko
Limited
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
- 1912
- Most girls named
- 192739 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1261reached in 1927
- Change vs 2008
- 0.0%5 in 2011, from 5
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.
Sumiko in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Sumiko in Japanese — transliteration
- Sumi in Japanese — related form
Sumikos among us
people named Sumiko are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Sumiko sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A clear meaning in its usual written form.
- A long history in Japanese-American families.
- Comes with Sumi as a ready short form.
- Its meaning depends on the characters chosen.
- English speakers will need help with the even Japanese stress.
- It reads as an older-generation name in Japanese-American communities.
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Sumiko
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Sumikos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Sumiko are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sumiko in 2025?
- Sumiko is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Sumiko with classmates?
- Sumiko will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More S names
The most-given names starting with S, all years combined.
Susan#1085 · Sarah#90 · Sandra#1207 · Stephanie#557 · Sharon#1250 · Shirley#1581 · Samantha#151 · Sophia#5
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Sumiko? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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