Kentaro

Kentaro is a masculine Japanese given name. In Japan, the name is commonly formed with a first element followed by the suffix 太郎 (taro), a traditional component meaning “eldest son.” The exact meaning of Kentaro depends on the kanji used for the first element. Common kanji combinations include 健太郎 (healthy, strong and eldest son), 賢太郎 (wise, eldest son), 建太郎 (to build, eldest son), among others. Because kanji vary, Kentaro does not have a single fixed meaning.

The name can be written in kana as けんたろう or けんたろう, and in romaji as Kentaro or Kentarō (the latter indicates a long vowel in some transliteration systems). It remains a recognizable given name in Japan and among Japanese communities abroad, used across generations.

Notable individuals named Kentaro include Kentaro Miura (1966–2021), a Japanese manga artist best known for creating Berserk. Another is Kentaro Kobayashi, a Japanese comedian and actor who served as the opening ceremony director for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before stepping down. The name also appears in various works of fiction and in historical contexts, reflecting its long-standing presence in Japanese naming traditions.

Kentaro is related to the name Tarō, a common suffix in male Japanese names, and shares its cultural association with the notion of lineage and family in traditional naming.