Shirou as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Shirou

What is the meaning of the name Shirou ?

The baby name Shirou is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Japanese: /ɕiɾoː/ (shi-rō, 'shee-roh'); Anglicized: /ʃiːroʊ/ (SHEE-roh).

Shirou is Japanese in Origin.

Shirou is a Japanese masculine given name, typically written Shirō, Shirou, or Shiro in Roman letters. It derives from the -rō element (郎 or 朗), a classical male name suffix meaning “young man” or “son,” with the initial morpheme varying by kanji. Meanings differ widely: 四郎 conveys “fourth son”; 志郎 “aspiration + son”; 士郎 “gentleman/warrior + son”; 司郎 “to manage + son”; and 史朗 “history + clear/bright.” Because of this flexibility, parents choose characters to express hopes or qualities.

Once part of Japan’s numeric birth-order tradition alongside Ichirō, Jirō, and Saburō, Shirou became an independent given name beyond family order. It peaked in the mid-20th century and now reads as classic yet familiar, helped by appearances in popular media. Variant spellings include Shiroh (older) and Shiro; note that Shiro also functions as a separate name, sometimes written with 白 “white,” giving a distinct meaning.

⚙ Shirou is seldom given. In all, it turns up just 37 times, across 21 countries.