ichiro

Ichiro is a masculine given name of Japanese origin. The most common kanji representation is 一郎, interpreted as "first son." The name can be written with various kanji combinations, producing different meanings depending on the chosen characters.

In Japan, Ichiro is widely used as a given name; in romaji it is often rendered as Ichirō or Ichiro. Outside Japan, the name is primarily associated with public figures such as athletes or entertainers named Ichiro. It is typically a male name but can appear in fiction and media with male characters.

One of the best-known bearers of the name is Ichiro Suzuki (born 1973), a prominent Japanese-born professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins. He debuted in MLB in 2001, winning the American League Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season, and accumulating more than 3,000 career hits. He is widely regarded for his precise hitting technique, speed, and defensive skill; he retired from professional baseball in 2019.

The name has been borne by numerous other athletes, artists, and public figures in Japan and among Japanese communities worldwide. Because of its generic meaning and phonetics, Ichiro also appears in fiction and media as a plausible Japanese male name.