It's kind of just the title. I've been avoiding it for a really long time (like five or six months), but I'm getting the feeling I should really start learning how pronounce names.

I just learn the individual characters. There are only so many Chinese family names. Makes things easy. It is easy to learn them in context. Watch a TV series, read a book or even a textbook, and it is hard not to get familiar with the various characters and their names. Especially when Skritter additionally drills them into your head.

Hmm... The problem is, in Japanese, surnames are multi-charactered and have funky readings. I've also been unable to find a Skritter list with a lot of Japanese names on it. :/

Though they are multiple characters(same as my Chinese surname)I have seen a lot of common surnames with the Japanese friends I know.

http://www.jref.com/japan/society/japanese_family_names.shtml

This is THE list, just add the top 100 or 50.
http://park14.wakwak.com/~myj/lanking/zenkoku1b.html

When I was a teacher I'd memorize all the last names of all my students. Because I'd have to hand out the books to them with their Chinese names this was easy. It worked so well, when I run into student's parents on the street years later, I can properly address them. In other words, just take note of the names. When you get a name list, just look over the surnames quickly and see which ones you know and which you don't. And ask people about the new ones. In Chinese, once you know 30 or so, you know most peoples name. Looking at the Japanese list, the 1st is 10 times more common than the 70th. Looks like it quickly tapers off making it easy.

Also, I read the Three Kingdoms, which is one of China's great novels. The names just keep coming in that book so you learn them very quickly that way, especially if you want to know who the people are. I then played the strategy game in Chinese which has hundreds and hundreds of characters from the book in it. Recently my Taiwanese fiance told me she had never seen a certain surname we came across, but I knew it from the game ;)

Its funny, the drug store I go to is called 高橋, the third most popular name. Never realized it was a Japanese name.

Also, Kobayashi(#9) is the name of the optometrist chain I go to.
It is also the name of the Keyser Söze's lawyer from 'The Usual Suspects.
It is also the infamous name of a village that was horrifically destroy during a typhoon a few years ago.
It is also the name of a expensive cookie/treat store in Taiwan.
It is also the name of the hairstylist chain I go to.

These things are everywhere!

Thank you so much for this list! How on earth did you find it? (How on Earth did I not XD) Can you speak Japanese?

Again, thanks for the list XD.

So, I took a look around and found this list as well, so for anyone else trying to learn to read Japanese names, here's a first name ranking:

http://www.douseidoumei.net/00/mei01.html

It seems to have lots of other stuff like this too (for example, most common Japanese name isn't 山田太郎[loooool] but 田中実(たなか ものる). Here's their 姓 list as welllll: http://www.douseidoumei.net/00/sei01.html

@dfoxworthy: You read the Three Kingdoms in Chinese? I'm impressed! How large was your vocabulary when you started it, and how difficult was it?