ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1969 First Year 2024 Last Year 2002 Peak Year #4502 Peak Rank 440 Total Count 47 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1972 First Year 2024 Last Year 2007 Peak Year #5895 Peak Rank 381 Total Count 38 Years Active Advertisement 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Yu What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Yū or Yu or Yuu is a very common Japanese given name used by either sex. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%AB) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%AB) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Chinese * Japanese [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Yu](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Darvish_20070829.JPG/330px-Darvish_20070829.JPG?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=thumbnail)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%AB) 📖 ## The Story of Yu ### As a girl name Yu first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1972, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2007: 23 births, good for #5,895 nationwide. The 2000s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 35% of all recorded Yus. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 381 Yus have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Yu first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1969, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2002: 17 births, good for #4,502 nationwide. The 2000s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 25% of all recorded Yus. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 440 Yus have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data ⭐ ## Notable people named Yu A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Yu Aida (裕), a Japanese manga artist and illustrator * ●Yū Aoi (優), a Japanese actress * ●Yū Asagiri (夕), a Japanese manga artist * ●Yū Asakawa (悠, born 1975), a Japanese voice actress * ●Yu Darvish (有), an Iranian-Japanese starting pitcher * ●Yu Fukumoto ( 福本 悠 ; born 2002) , Japanese footballer * ●Yū Hayami (優), a Japanese pop singer and actress * ●Yū Hasebe (優), a Japanese actress, singer and model Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%AB) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%AB) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Yu Phonetically similar names — useful when Yu is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [You](/you) * [Hugh](/hugh) * Yuh * Ewe * Yew * Eww * [Yoo](/yoo) * Eue * [Yue](/yue) * [Uwe](/uwe) * Yuu * Ewh Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Yu What does the name Yu mean? Yū or Yu or Yuu is a very common Japanese given name used by either sex. What is the origin of the name Yu? Yu has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Chinese, Japanese. How popular is Yu in 2026? In 2026, Yu ranks #12,301 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Yu most popular? Yu reached its peak popularity in 2002, ranking #4,502 that year with 17 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Yu most popular? Yu has historically been most popular in New York, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Yu. Is Yu a unisex name? Yes — Yu is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 46% of Yus assigned female and 54% assigned male historically. What names go well with Yu? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Yu include Alesandro, Arshad, Mikyle. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦AlesandroPeak #4502](/alesandro)[👦ArshadPeak #4502](/arshad)[👦MikylePeak #4502](/mikyle)[👦JibranPeak #4502](/jibran) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧EllicePeak #5895](/ellice)[👧SelitaPeak #5895](/selita)[👧AntiaPeak #5895](/antia)[👧GeraldinPeak #5895](/geraldin) Advertisement ## About the name Yu Yu is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1969 and has accumulated 440 births in the dataset. Yu's peak popularity came in 2002 when it ranked #4,502\. Use the chart and map above to compare Yu's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2002 → ](/year/2002) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "Y" → ](/letter/y) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides. Advertisement