Mariko (given name)
undifferentiated Japanese kana female given name (まりこ)
Mariko (まりこ, マリコ, 茉莉子, 真理子, 万里子, 眞里子, 万利子) is a feminine Japanese given name.
Written forms in Japanese
The name Mariko can be written using various kanji characters, each of which has a different meaning, such as the following:
鞠子, "ball" + "child"
真理子, "truth" + "child"
万里子, "long distance" + "child"
茉莉子, "jasmine" + "child"
麻里子, "hemp" + "village (country house)" + "child"
The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana:
まりこ (hiragana)
マリコ (katakana)
People
Notable people with the given name Mariko include:
Mariko Adachi (足立 真梨子; born 1983), Japanese triathlete
Mariko Asabuki (朝吹 真理子; born 1984), Japanese writer
Mariko Bando (坂東 眞理子; born 1946), Japanese writer, critic, and former bureaucrat
Mariko Daouda (born 1981), Ivorian football player
Mariko Ebralidze (მარიკო ებრალიძე), a Georgian jazz singer
Mariko Gotō (後藤 まりこ; born 1982), Japanese singer, lyricist, composer and actress
Mariko Hasegawa (長谷川 眞理子; born 1952), Japanese zoologist and anthropologist
Mariko Hayashi (林 真理子; born 1954), Japanese writer
Mariko Hill (born 1995) Hong Kong cricketer
Mariko Honda (本多 真梨子), Japanese voice actress
Mariko Iwadate (岩館 真理子; born 1957), Japanese manga artist
Mariko Kaga (加賀 まりこ; born 1943), Japanese actress
Mariko Kawana (川奈 まり子; born 1967), Japanese AV idol and pink film actress
Mariko Kihara (木原 万莉子; born 1997), Japanese figure skater
Mariko Koike (小池 真理子; born 1952), Japanese novelist
Mariko Kouda (國府田 マリ子; born 1969), Japanese actress, voice actress, J-pop singer and radio personality
Mariko Kusumoto (born 1967), Japanese artist
Mariko Masubuchi (増淵 まり子; born 1980), Japanese softball player
Mariko Miyagi (宮城 まり子; 1927–2020), Japanese actress, singer, and advocate for children with disabilities
Mariko Mori (森 万里子; born 1967), Japanese video and photographic artist
Mariko Mori (volleyball) (森 万里子; born 1981), Japanese volleyball player
Mariko Morimoto (森本 麻里子; born 1995), Japanese triple jumper
Mariko Nagai (born 1974), Japanese-born poet and writer who writes in English
Mariko Nanba, (真理子), a Japanese video game composer
Mariko Ōhara (大原 まり子; born 1959), Japanese science fiction writer
Mariko Oi (大井 真理子; born 1981), Japanese bilingual journalist
Mariko Okada (岡田 茉莉子; born 1933), Japanese stage and film actress
Mariko Okamoto (岡本 眞理子; born 1951), Japanese volleyball player and Olympic champion
Mariko Okubo (大久保 麻梨子; born 1984), Japanese model and actress
Mariko Ooe (大江 麻理子; born 1978), Japanese newsroom announcer
Mariko Peters (born 1969) Dutch politician and civil servant as well as lawyer
Mariko Sakai (酒井 麻里子; born 1990), Japanese synchronized swimmer
Mariko Sanjo (三条 万里子; born 1933), Japanese modern dancer, choreographer and director
Mariko Seyama (脊山 麻理子; born 1980), Japanese announcer and former model
Mariko Shiga (志賀 真理子; 1969–1989), Japanese idol star and voice actress
Mariko Shimizu (マリコ), a Japanese novelist
Mariko Shinoda (篠田 麻里子; born 1986), Japanese singer, actress and fashion model
Mariko Silver, American president and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Mariko Suga (菅 真理子; born 1953), Japanese wife of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga
Mariko Suzuki (鈴木 麻里子; born 1970), Japanese voice actress
Mariko Takahashi (singer) (高橋 真梨子; born 1949), Japanese singer
Mariko Takahashi (model and actress) (高橋 マリ子; born 1984), Japanese model and actress
Mariko Takahashi (gymnast) (高橋 麻理子; born 1988), Japanese gymnast
Mariko Takamura (高村 真理子; 1958–2006), Japanese cultural icon for the deaf and hard of hearing
Mariko Tamaki (born 1975), Canadian artist and writer
Mariko Tanaka (田中 真理子; born 1993), Japanese professional footballer
Mariko Tone (刀根 麻理子; born 1962), Japanese singer, actor and essayist
Mariko Tsutsui (筒井 真理子; born 1960), Japanese actress
Mariko Umeda (梅田 麻里子; 1967–1997), Japanese female professional wrestler
Mariko Yamada (山田 真理子; born 1950), Japanese-American social worker
Mariko Yamamoto (山本 万里子; born 1983), Japanese former cricketer
Mariko Yoshida (吉田 万里子; born 1970), Japanese retired professional wrestler
Mariko Yoshida (volleyball) (吉田 真理子; born 1954), Japanese volleyball player and Olympic champion
Mariko Yoshikawa (吉川 真理子; born 1951), Japanese fencer
Tetsuya Mariko (真利子 哲也; born 1981), Japanese filmmaker
Fictional characters
Notable fictional characters with the given name Mariko include:
Mariko, a character in the newspaper and webcomic strip Piled Higher and Deeper
Mariko Konjo, a character in the anime and manga series Ranma ½
Mariko Kurama, a supporting character of the anime series Elfen Lied
Mariko "Marie" Kusumi, a supporting character in Persona 4
Mariko Shinobu, a character in the anime and manga series Onii-sama e...
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Mariko (given name)” is undifferentiated Japanese kana female given name (まりこ). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Mariko, given and name, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “undifferentiated Japanese kana female given name (まりこ)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15725619. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1983, 1984, 1946 and 1981.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Mariko (given name)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Mariko (given name) primary sources, Mariko (given name) archive and Mariko research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Mariko (given name)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.