Isao (いさお, イサオ) is a masculine Japanese given name which was popular during the Shōwa period.

Isao
Pronunciationí-sá-ó
GenderMale
Language(s)Japanese
Origin
MeaningIt can have many different meanings depending on the kanji used.

Possible writings

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Isao can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:

  • 功, "achievement"
  • 勲, "meritorious"
  • 績, "exploits"
  • 公, "public"
  • 勇男, "brave, man"
  • 勇夫, "brave, man"
  • 勇雄, "brave, masculine"
  • 伊佐夫
  • 伊佐雄
  • 伊三男

The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana.

People with the name

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  • Isao Abe (阿部 功, 1912–1980), Japanese hammer thrower
  • Isao Aoki (功, born 1942), Japanese professional golfer
  • Isao Asai (浅井 功, born 1942), Japanese ice hockey player
  • Isao Harimoto (勲, born 1940), Zainichi Korean professional baseball player
  • Isao Hashizume (功, born 1941), Japanese actor
  • Isao Hayashi (林 伊佐緒, 1912–1995), Japanese singer and composer
  • Isao Homma (born 1981), Japanese footballer who plays for Albirex Niigata
  • Isao Inokuma (功, 1938–2001), Japanese judoka
  • Isao Iwabuchi (born 1933), Japanese Olympic football player
  • Isao Kakihara (垣原 功, born 1944), Japanese ice hockey player
  • Isao Kawabuchi (河淵 勲, born 1936), Japanese ice hockey player
  • Isao Kikuchi (born 1921), American graphic designer, painter, carver, illustrator
  • Isao Kimura (功, 1923–1981), Japanese actor
  • Isao Kubota (born 1983), Japanese footballer who plays for Samut Songkhram
  • Isao Kuraishi (倉石 功, born 1944), Japanese actor
  • Isao Matsumiya, Japanese politician
  • Isao Matsuoka (功, born 1934), Chairman of Toho
  • Isao Morishita (森下 勲), Japanese motorcycle racer
  • Isao Nakajima (中島 功, born 1941), Japanese swimmer
  • Isao Nakauchi (功, 1922–2005), founder of Daiei
  • Isao Obata (1904–1976), pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate
  • Isao Okano (功, born 1944), Japanese judoka
  • Isao Okawa (功, 1926–2001), former Chairman of Sega
  • Isao Okazaki (功, 1920–2006), Japanese right-wing activist
  • Isao Ono (小野 悳, born 1933), Japanese ice hockey player
  • Isao Sasaki, (功, Japanese anime singer, actor, and voice actor
  • Isao Shinohara, (篠原 功), Japanese voice actor
  • Isao Takagi (高木 功, born 1961), Japanese professional wrestler
  • Isao Takahata (勲, 1935–2018), Japanese anime director
  • Isao Tamagawa (伊佐男, 1922–2004), Japanese actor
  • Isao Tomita (勲, born 1932), Japanese electronic music composer
  • Isao Yamada (山田 勇男, born 1952), Japanese film director
  • Isao Yamagata (1915–1996), Japanese film actor (fl. 1951 and 1984)
  • Isao Yamagishi (山岸 勲, born 1966), Japanese diver
  • Isao Yoneda (功, born 1977), Japanese gymnast
  • Isao Yukisada (勲, born 1968), Japanese film director

Fictional characters

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  • Isao, a character in the manga series How to Keep a Mummy
  • Isao Iinuma, protagonist of the novel Runaway Horses
  • Isao Ohta (功), a character in the anime and manga series Mobile Police Patlabor
  • Kondo Isao, a character in the anime and manga series Gin Tama