UK girl's name
Airi
A feminine Japanese name meaning "love, affection, jasmine flower".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Airi is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Airi popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 3 births.
This profile covers 9 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2012 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 9 living people in the UK are called Airi. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Airi ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2012, when 3 girls were registered as Airi.
- • About 9 living people in the UK are estimated to have Airi as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5891
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2012
3 births
Estimated living
9
2026
Meaning
What does Airi mean?
Airi is a Japanese feminine given name that originated from the words "ai" meaning love or affection, and "ri" meaning village or town. The name gained popularity in Japan during the Heian period, which spanned from 794 to 1185 CE.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Airi can be found in the Genji Monogatari, a classical Japanese novel written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. In this famous literary work, one of the minor characters bears the name Airi.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Airi was Airi Kunitomo, a renowned Japanese potter and ceramist who lived from 1878 to 1954. She was celebrated for her innovative techniques and her ability to blend traditional and modern styles in her ceramic artworks.
Another prominent individual named Airi was Airi Suzuki, a Japanese actress and singer who rose to fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She was born in 1984 and is best known for her roles in various Japanese television dramas and her successful music career as a J-pop artist.
In the field of literature, Airi Ozaki was a Japanese author and poet who lived from 1919 to 2010. She was renowned for her poetry collections and her contributions to the development of modern Japanese literature.
Airi Yokoyama, born in 1985, is a notable Japanese voice actress who has lent her voice to numerous anime and video game characters. She is particularly well-known for her roles in popular series such as K-ON! and Nisekoi.
Airi Yatsunami, a Japanese swimmer born in 1991, is another notable individual with the name Airi. She has represented Japan in international swimming competitions and has won several medals at the Asian Games and other regional events.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Airi over time
The chart below shows babies named Airi registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2012 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Airi, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Airi by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Airi was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5692 | 6 | 2 |
| 2010s | #5876 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Airi
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Airi: questions and answers
How popular is the name Airi in the UK right now?
In 2024, Airi was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Airi most popular?
The peak year on record was 2012, with 3 babies registered as Airi in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Airi?
A feminine Japanese name meaning "love, affection, jasmine flower".
How many people are called Airi in the UK?
A total of 9 babies have been registered as Airi across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.