Isao

is a masculine Japanese given name which was popular during the Shōwa period (1926–1989).

Written forms

Isao can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:

• 功, "achievement"
• 勲, "meritorious"
• 績, "exploits"
• 公, "public"
• 勇男, "brave, man"
• 勇夫, "brave, man"
• 勇雄, "brave, masculine"
• 伊佐夫
• 伊佐雄
• 伊三男

The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana.

People with the name

• , Japanese hammer thrower
• Isao Aoki (功, born 1942), Japanese professional golfer
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• Isao Harimoto (勲, born 1940), Zainichi Korean professional baseball player
• Isao Hashizume (功, born 1941), Japanese actor
• , Japanese singer and composer
• Isao Homma (born 1981), Japanese footballer who plays for Albirex Niigata
• Isao Inokuma (功, 1938–2001), Japanese judoka
• Isao Iwabuchi (born 1933), Japanese Olympic football player
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• Isao Kikuchi (born 1921), American graphic designer, painter, carver, illustrator
• Isao Kimura (功, 1923–1981), Japanese actor
• Isao Kubota (born 1983), Japanese footballer who plays for Samut Songkhram
• , Japanese actor
• Isao Matsumiya, Japanese politician
• Isao Matsuoka (功, born 1934), Chairman of Toho
• , Japanese motorcycle racer
• , Japanese swimmer
• Isao Nakauchi (功, 1922–2005), founder of Daiei
• Isao Obata (1904–1976), pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate
• Isao Okano (功, born 1944), Japanese judoka
• Isao Okawa (功, 1926–2001), former Chairman of Sega
• Isao Okazaki (功, 1920–2006), Japanese right-wing activist
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• Isao Sasaki, (功, Japanese anime singer, actor, and voice actor
• , Japanese professional wrestler
• Isao Takahata (勲, 1935–2018), Japanese anime director
• Isao Tamagawa (伊佐男, 1922–2004), Japanese actor
• Isao Tomita (勲, born 1932), Japanese electronic music composer
• , Japanese film director
• Isao Yamagata (1915–1996), Japanese film actor (fl. 1951 and 1984)
• , Japanese diver
• Isao Yoneda (功, born 1977), Japanese gymnast
• Isao Yukisada (勲, born 1968), Japanese film director

Fictional characters

• Isao, a character in the manga series How to Keep a Mummy
• Isao Iinuma, protagonist of the novel Runaway Horses
• Isao Ohta (功), a character in the anime and manga series Mobile Police Patlabor
• Kondo Isao, a character in the anime and manga series Gin Tama