Tarō (given name)

Tarō, Taro, Talo, Taroh or Tarou (太郎, タロウ, たろう), is a stand-alone masculine Japanese given name or a common name suffix (literally meaning "eldest son"). Tarō can also be used as a surname.

Pronunciation	Ta-ro-u
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Japanese
Meaning	Different meanings depending on the kanji used
Region of origin	Japan

Possible writings

The name Taro can have many different meaning depending on the kanji characters used to write it. The name can also be written using the hiragana or katakana writing systems. Possible variations of the name Taro include:

• 太郎, "strong, heroic, masculine"
• 多朗, "abundance, prolific, melodious"
• 立楼, "stand up, upright, watchtower"
• 汰滝, "selected waterfall"

People with the given name

• Taro Achi (阿智 太郎, born 1980), Japanese light novelist and screenwriter
• Akebono Tarō (曙 太郎, born 1969), retired sumo wrestler from Hawaii
• Taro Ando (安藤 太郎, born 1977), Japanese slalom canoeist
• Asashio Tarō IV (born 1955), retired sumo wrestler from Muroto, Japan
• Taro Aso (麻生 太郎, born 1940), Japanese politician and the 92nd Prime Minister of Japan
• Taro Chiezo (千恵藏 太郎), Manhattan based, Japanese artist
• Taro Gold (金太郎, born 1969), American writer, entertainer, and entrepreneur
• Tarō Gomi (五味 太郎, born 1945), a Japanese children's book illustrator and writer
• Taro Hakase (葉加瀬 太郎, born 1968), musician, violinist, and composer from Suita, Japan
• Taro Ichihara (市原 多朗, born 1950), Japanese opera singer
• Taro Ishida (石田 太郎, 1944–2013), a Japanese voice actor, and actor from Kyoto, Japan
• Taro Iwashiro (岩代 太郎, born 1965), a Japanese composer
• Taro Kagawa (賀川 太郎, 1922–1990), Japanese footballer
• Katsura Tarō (桂 太郎, 1848–1913), Japanese soldier who served in the Imperial Japanese Army, and was Prime Minister of Japan three times in a row
• Tarō Kimura (journalist) (木村 太郎, born 1938), Japanese journalist
• Tarō Kimura (politician) (木村 太郎, 1965–2017), Japanese politician
• Taro Kono (河野 太郎, born 1963), a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the House of Representatives
• Taro Kudo (工藤 太郎), a Japanese video game designer and video game music composer
• Maruse Taro (マルセ太郎, 1933–2001), Japanese mime artist, comedian, vaudevillian and movie star
• Tarou Masuoka (増岡 太郎, born 1971), Japanese voice actor
• Tarō Okamoto (岡本 太郎, 1911–1996), a Japanese artist from Kawasaki Japan
• Taro Shoji (東海林 太郎, 1898–1972), a Japanese ryūkōka singer
• Taro Sugimoto (杉本 太郎, born 1996), Japanese footballer
• Taro Teshima (born 1912), Japanese rower
• Taro Urabe (卜部 太郎, born 1977), former Japanese football player
• Taro Yamaguchi (山口 太郎, born 1970), Japanese actor
• Taro Yamasaki, Japanese American Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and the eldest son of architect Minoru Yamasaki
• Tarō Yamamoto (山本 太郎, born 1974), Japanese politician and actor who is well known for portraying Shogo Kawada in Battle Royale
• Taro Yamamoto (artist) (1919-1994), Japanese American abstract expressionist artist who served in the U.S. Army during the Second World War
• Taro Yashima (八島太郎, 1908-1994), pseudonym of a Japanese artist and expatriate in the United States
• Yoko Taro, a Japanese video game director and scenario writer

People with -tarō as a name suffix

• Shintaro Abe (安倍 晋太郎, 1924–1991), Japanese politician, and father of current Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe
• Sakutarō Hagiwara (萩原 朔太郎, 1886–1942), Japanese poet and writer
• Ryutaro Hashimoto (橋本 龍太郎, 1937–2006), Japanese politician and the 83rd Prime Minister of Japan
• Shōtarō Ikenami (池波 正太郎, 1923–1990), Japanese author who won the Naoki Award for popular literature in 1960
• Shintarō Ishihara (石原 慎太郎, born 1932), Japanese politician, author, and the Governor of Tokyo from 1999-2012
• Shotaro Ishinomori (石ノ森 章太郎, 1938–1998), Japanese manga artist known for his works such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Gorenger
• Iwasaki Yatarō (岩崎 弥太郎, 1835–1885), Japanese businessman, financier, shipping industrialist, and founder of Mitsubishi
• Tsurutarō Kataoka (片岡 鶴太郎, born 1954), a Japanese comedian, actor, artist, and professional boxer
• Shintaro Katsu (勝 新太郎, 1931–1997), Japanese actor, producer, director, and singer
• Kotaro Koizumi (小泉 孝太郎, born 1978), Japanese actor and the eldest son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi
• Komura Jutarō (小村 壽太郎, 1855–1911), Japanese politician and a statesman and diplomat in the Meiji Period
• Rentarō Mikuni (三國 連太郎, born 1923), Japanese film actor
• Nakamura Kantarō II (六代目 中村 勘九郎, born 1981), Japanese kabuki, film, and television actor
• Kyotaro Nishimura (西村 京太郎), Japanese mystery novelist
• Ryōtarō Shiba (司馬 遼太郎, 1923–1996), Japanese historical novel author from Osaka
• Kataro Shirayamadani (1865–1948), a Japanese ex-patriate ceramics painter who did most of his work in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
• Ryōtarō Sugi (杉良太郎, born 1944), Japanese actor and singer from Kobe
• Kantarō Suzuki (鈴木 貫太郎, 1868–1948), an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Army, and the former Prime Minister of Japan
• Umetaro Suzuki (鈴木 梅太郎, 1874–1943), Japanese scientist from the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan
• Rentarō Taki (滝 廉太郎, 1879–1903), a Japanese composer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the best-known composers of Japan
• Shuntarō Tanikawa (谷川 俊太郎, born 1931), a Japanese poet and translator

Characters

• Momotarō, the hero from a fairy tale
• Jotarō Kujō, the protagonist of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
• Rantaro Amami, a character in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
• Monotaro, one of the Monokubs in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
• Kitarō, the titular protagonist of the GeGeGe no Kitarō manga series created by Shigeru Mizuki
• Kintarō, the hero from a fairy tale
• Urashima Tarō, the hero from a fairy tale
• Shippeitaro, the hero from a fairy tale
• Ultraman Taro, the sixth Ultra Brother
• Taro Soramame, a character in Dr. Slump media
• Taro Kagami of the pilot version of Death Note
• Taro Namatame, an antagonist of Persona 4
• Taro Kato, a character in Gorenger
• Taro, a character in Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
• Taro Nagazumi, a character in Mind Your Language
• Hamutaro, Japanese hamster character.
• Taro Sato, a character in Kamen Rider Build
• Gut Buster Taro, a character from Kamen Rider Zero-One
• Yumetaro, the protagonist of Gimmick!
• Jataro Kemuri, one of the Warriors of Hope in the game Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
• Ryūtarō Naruhodō, Susato Mikotoba pretending to be Ryūnosuke Naruhodō's cousin in the game The Great Ace Attorney 2
• Q-Taro Burgerberg, one of the participants in Your Turn to Die: Death Game By Majority, also known as Kimi Ga Shine: Tasuketsu Death Game
• Ryotaro Dojima, a detective in Persona 4

See also

• Bandō Tarō, a nickname of Tone River
• Taro, a famed Sakhalin Husky of the 1958 Japanese Antarctica expedition
• Taro Tsujimoto, a fictitious Japanese ice hockey player selected in the 1974 NHL Draft
• Ikutaro Kakehashi, whose nickname was Taro
• Taro (disambiguation)