Yoko

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Yōko" and "Yōkō" are given names in Japan, and oko is a word that appears in many place names.

Contents

[edit] Female given name

Yōko is a female Japanese given name. Depending on the kanji used in writing it, it can mean "Freely Girl" (暢子), "Sunny Girl" (陽子), "Glorious Girl" (容子), and more. Yoko is also a japanese word meaning beside.

People who have the name "Yōko" include

  • Yoko Akino, (秋野暢子 Akino Yōko), born Yoko Tashiro (田代暢子 Tashiro Yōko, born January 18, 1957 in Osaka, Japan is a Japanese actress.
  • Yoko Asada, (浅田 葉子 Asada Yōko, born May 23, 1969) is a voice actress (seiyū) in Japan.
  • Yoko Honda, (本多陽子 Honda Yōko, born August 15, 1983) is a voice actress (seiyū) in Japan
  • Yoko Honna, (本名 陽子 Honna Yōko) is a voice actress (seiyū) who was born on January 7, 1979 in Soka, Saitama.
  • Yoko Kanno, (菅野 よう子 Kanno Yōko, born March 19, 1964 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan) is a famous composer and keyboardist known for her performances and musical scores in anime titles
  • Yoko Kikuchi, (Kikuchi Yōko, born September 1, 1981 in New York City) is a New York City-based artist and musician best known for her work in the band Dream Bitches and with the independent record labels Olive Juice Music and Recommended If You Like Records.
  • Yoko Maki, Japanese Actress.
  • Yoko Maki (born Yoko Fuke), Japanese Manga artist.
  • Yoko Matsugane, (松金 洋子, Matsugane Yōko) (born May 26, 1982) is a Japanese gravure (or bikini) idol from Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
  • Yoko Matsumoto, (松本洋子 Matsumoto Yōko, born April 4 in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist known for her series Darkness Gathers (闇は集う; Yumi wa tsudou).
  • Yoko Matsumoto, (松本陽子 Matsumoto Yōko) is a Japanese artist.
  • Yoko Matsuyama, (松山容子 Matsuyama Yōko; born November 30, 1937 in Ehime, Japan) is a Japanese actress best known for her work in the Crimson Bat series.
  • Yoko Moriguchi, (森口瑤子 Moriguchi Yōko, born August 5, 1966 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress.
  • Yoko Nagayama, (長山洋子 Nagayama Yōko; born January 13, 1968) is a Japanese enka singer and actress.
  • Yoko Natsuki, (夏樹陽子 Natsuki Youko, born October 24, 1952 in Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan) is an actress.
  • Yoko Nogiwa, (野際陽子 Nogiwa Yōko, born January 24, 1936 in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture) is a Japanese actress.
  • Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono Lennon (born February 18, 1933 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese musician and artist who has lived most of her life in the United States. She is the widow of ex-Beatle John Lennon.
  • Yoko Shimada, (島田楊子; born May 17, 1953 in Kumamoto, Japan), is a Japanese actress. She is best known to Western audiences for her portrayal of Mariko (Lady Toda Buntaro) in the 1980 miniseries, Shogun with Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune
  • Yoko Shimomura, (下村陽子 Shimomura Yōko, b. October 19, 1967) is a Japanese composer and musician best known for her soundtracks for various video games.
  • Yoko Soumi (沢海 陽子 Soumi Yōko, born May 31, 1965) is a voice actress (seiyū) who was born in Niigata.
  • Yoko Takahashi, (高橋洋子 Takahashi Yōko) is a Japanese singer, perhaps best known for performing "Cruel Angel's Thesis", the opening theme tune of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
  • Yoko Tawada, (多和田葉子 Tawada Yōko, 1960 - Present) is a Japanese writer currently living in Hamburg, Germany.
  • Yoko Watanabe (1953 – July 15, 2004) was a Japanese operatic soprano who spent much of her career singing the title role of Madame Butterfly all over Europe.
  • Yoko Yamauchi, daughter of Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi.

Fictional characters that have the name "Yōko" include:

[edit] Male given name

Pronounced differently, with two long o's, Yōkō can be a given name for a man:

  • Yoko Gushiken', (male, 具志堅 用高 Gushiken Yōkō, June 26, 1955-) was a professional boxer from 1974-1981

[edit] Japanese word

Yoko (?) is also a Japanese word meaning "beside". It is common in Japanese place names. Some examples of municipalities including this word are

  • Yokogawa, a former town in Kagoshima Prefecture
  • Yokohama, a major city in Japan, the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture
  • Yokoshibahikari, a town in Chiba Prefecture
  • Yokoshima, a former town in Kumamoto Prefecture
  • Yokosuka, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture
  • Yokota, a former town in Shimane Prefecture
  • Yokote, a city in Akita Prefecture
  • Yokoze, a town in Saitama Prefecture


It occurs in family names, as well. Among them are

[edit] Other

Other topics related to Yoko are:

  • Yōko (妖狐) is another name for a kitsune, or fox spirit.
  • Yoko, Beulah's final album, released on Velocette Records in 2003
  • Yoko factor, a tongue-in cheek term used to signify the split up of a musical group due to a romantic interest of one of the group's members (named after Yoko Ono).
  • Yoko, a song by the German punk-band Die Ärzte
  • Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! an animated cartoon for children