Junko

Junko is a classic Showa-era Japanese girl's name whose jun most often carries kanji meaning pure or genuine, joined to the ko ending that marked so many daughters of that generation. Junko Tabei, who in 1975 became the first woman to summit Everest, remains its most inspiring bearer, a name carried to the roof of the world. Two quick syllables land cleanly, the soft j rolling into the firm k at the center. It belongs to a bygone fashion in naming yet feels freshly readable, neither dated nor trendy. Modest in sound, remarkable in company it keeps. Clear and honest.