The results of a kanji ranking survey covering 7,215 babies born in September 2026 were released. “莉” ranked No. 1 for girls, while “翔” ranked No. 1 for boys. Kanji evoking autumn moved up the rankings for both genders, with seasonal kanji surging in popularity.
Baby Calendar conducted a survey of its “Baby Kanji Rankings” among 7,215 babies born in September 2026. In the monthly rankings by gender, “莉” ranked No. 1 for girls, “乃” No. 2, and “陽” No. 3, with kanji evoking scenes unique to autumn ranking highly. For boys, “翔” ranked No. 1, “陽” No. 2 and “斗” No. 3. The top five were unchanged from August, with classic kanji remaining popular.
The rankings for girls suggest an autumn trend, with kanji evoking autumn, including 葉, as well as 楓 (かえで) and 椛 (もみじ), moving up. “葉,” which ranked No. 9 in August, rose to No. 4 in September; 楓 climbed from No. 63 to No. 28, while 椛 rose sharply from outside the top 100 to No. 64. For boys, 楓 also surged from No. 76 in August to No. 36 in September, with “楓 (かえで)” at No. 22 and “楓翔 (ふうが)” at No. 90 entering the top 100.
Kanji evoking the autumn harvest also entered the top 100 for girls, with 柚, 梨, 実, 穂, 杏 and 果 moving up the rankings. These kanji evoke the bounty of nature and abundance, indicating a trend toward incorporating the feeling of autumn into names.
For boys, “月” and “朔,” which evoke moon-viewing, moved up in the monthly rankings. 月 rose from No. 30 in August to No. 19 in September, while 朔 rose from No. 28 to No. 23, indicating growing popularity for names whose readings or sounds include the moon.
The survey found a marked increase in the use of kanji expressing a sense of the season in baby names, with rising demand for characters evoking autumn scenery and nature.