Note that some authors in the West use the Japanese format. Family Names Commoners were not allowed to use family names until after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when they were allowed to create a surname or borrow an existing one. However, some surnames consist of one or three or more characters. Because there are thousands of kanji and thus millions of possible combinations, Japan probably has more family names than any other country. The number of possible given names is practically limitless.
Some names are exclusively female or male, while others can be either.
For example, the male name Norihiko. Male Given Names Male names sometimes indicate the order of birth, using the suffix -ro, the counter for sons.