FOR examples of contemporary aristocratic names I consulted the reports
of the _Kwazoku-Jogakko_ (Peeresses' School), published between the
nineteenth and twenty-seventh years of Meiji (1886-1895). The
Kwazoku-Jogakko admits other students besides daughters of the nobility;
but for present purposes the names of the latter only--to the number of
one hundred and forty-seven--have been selected.
It will be observed that names of three or more syllables are rare among
these, and also that the modern aristocratic _yobina_ of two syllables,
as pronounced and explained, differ little from ordinary _yobina_. But
as written in Chinese they differ greatly from other female names, being
in most cases represented by characters of a complex and unfamiliar
kind. The use of these more elaborate characters chiefly accounts for
the relatively large number of homonyms to be found in the following
list:--