Seiko (given name)

Seiko

Gender	Generally feminine
Language(s)	Japanese
Origin
Meaning	Depends on kanji

Seiko is a Japanese given name, almost exclusively feminine. Its meaning depends on the kanji used to write it.

Kanji and meaning

The "ko" in Seiko is generally written with a kanji meaning "child" (子), and in that case is exclusively feminine; the kanji for "Sei" varies, for example:

• 晴子 ("clear weather"); also read Haruko
• 正子 ("upright", "correct"); also read Masako or Shōko, and also used in Korean to write the name Jeong-ja
• 清子 ("clean", "pure"); also read Kiyoko or Sayako
• 聖子 ("holy"); also read Kiyoko or Shōko, and also used in Korean to write the name Seong-ja
• 青子 ("blue" or "green"); also read Aoko

Rarely, the "ko" may be written with a kanji meaning "lake" (湖). Written this way, the name may be either masculine or feminine.

People

People with this name include:

• Seiko Fujita (藤田 西湖, 1898–1956), Japanese male martial artist
• Seiko Hashimoto (橋本 聖子, born 1964), Japanese politician, House of Councillors member, former ice speed skater and track cycling sprinter
• Seiko Kanno (菅野 聖子, 1933–1988), Japanese painter and poet
• Seiko Kawamura (河村 聖子, born 1984), Japanese volleyball player
• Seiko Lee Japanese soprano
• Seiko Matsuda (松田 聖子, born 1962), Japanese singer
• Seiko Mikami (三上 晴子, 1961–2015), Japanese artist
• Seiko Nakano (中野 聖子, born 1952), Japanese voice actress
• Seiko Niizuma (新妻 聖子, born 1980), Japanese actress
• Seiko Noda (野田 聖子, born 1960), Japanese politician, House of Representatives member
• Seiko Obonai (小保内 聖子, born 1940), Japanese shot putter
• Seiko Okamoto (岡本 聖子, born 1978), Japanese tennis player
• Okuhara Seiko (奥原 晴湖, 1837–1913), Japanese female painter
• Seiko Oomori (大森 靖子, born 1987), Japanese singer-songwriter
• Seiko Shimakage (島影 せい子, born 1949), Japanese volleyball player who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Seiko Tanabe (田辺 聖子, born 1928), Japanese novelist
• Seiko Yamada (山田 靑子, born 1978), Japanese badminton player
• Seiko Yamamoto (山本 聖子, born 1980), Japanese wrestler
• Seiko Yoshida (吉田 聖子, born 1986), Japanese voice actress

Fictional characters with this name include:

• Seiko Shinohara, in the survival horror video game Corpse Party
• Seiko Kimura, a character from Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School

See also

• People with the Japanese masculine name Seikō (with a long vowel in "kō")
  • Rin Seikō (林 世功, 1842–1880), scholar-bureaucrat of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
  • Seiko Yamanaka (山中 誠晃, born 1989), Japanese football defender