Akira is a Japanese name whose meaning depends on the kanji chosen; the most common readings are "bright" and "clear". In Japan it is mostly a boy's name, carried by the film director Akira Kurosawa and the 1988 anime classic Akira, but American parents give it mainly to girls. Akira peaked at number 707 for girls in 2008, spent most of the 2010s just outside the top 1000 and returned at number 952 in 2024 and number 983 in 2025.