Shintaro

Shintaro is a masculine Japanese given name. The meaning of the name depends on the kanji used to write it, but it is frequently formed from components such as shin (new, or sometimes trusted) and taro (a traditional suffix meaning eldest son). Common spellings include 新太郎, 慎太郎, 信太郎, and 真太郎. The name has been in regular use in Japan since the early 20th century and remains common in contemporary times.

Notable people bearing the name include Shintarō Ishihara (石原慎太郎, 1932–2022), a prominent Japanese politician and author who served as the governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012 and was a long-time member of the national Diet. His career and writings made him a well-known, sometimes controversial, public figure.

As a given name, Shintaro appears across various fields, including politics, arts, sports, and academia, reflecting its status as a traditional and enduring element of Japanese naming traditions. In popular culture, the name is also used for fictional characters in manga, anime, and film, illustrating its continued presence in Japanese media.

Overall, Shintaro is recognized as a versatile Japanese male given name with multiple possible kanji representations and a long-standing place in Japanese naming conventions.