Unisex name · Chinese and Japanese
Yu
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: jade or rain in Chinese; gentle in JapaneseYu is a gender-neutral name that comes from Chinese and Japanese and means "jade or rain in Chinese; gentle in Japanese". It is used in Chinese and Japanese.
- Meaning
- Jade or rain in Chinese; gentle in Japanese
- Origin
- Chinese and Japanese
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- YOO (Mandarin)
Meaning and origin of Yu
As a gender-neutral name, Yu comes from Chinese and Japanese and means "jade or rain in Chinese; gentle in Japanese". It is used in Chinese and Japanese.
In Mandarin, say YOO. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Yu is also a surname: the 495th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 66,156 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Yu on our names that mean water or sea list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Yu in Japanese
In hiragana, Yu is ゆう. In kanji it can be written several ways, and each choice gives the name its own meaning. These are spellings used for the name, with what each kanji means.
| Kanji | Reading | What the kanji mean |
|---|---|---|
| 優 | ゆう | 優 gentle, excellent |
| 勇 | ゆう | 勇 courage |
| 悠 | ゆう | 悠 distant, calm |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Yu on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Yu on 4 lists.
“優: gentle. Say yoo”
From Anime girl names, unisex Japanese names anime gives to girls
“An old word for I or me. Say YOO”
From Chinese last names, chinese surnames from titles, jobs and everyday words
“Faint, dim and hidden; found in the word for ghost.”
From Japanese names that mean shadow, japanese words for darkness
“Brave, when written 勇; Japanese. Say YOO”
From Names that mean strong, unisex names that mean strong
How popular is Yu?
As a girl’s name
- Recent US rank
- Fewer than 5 babies in 2025
- Best rank
- #5,834 in 1990
- Most babies: 23 in 2007
- Babies since 1972
- At least 381
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 1 per million |
| 1980s | 4 per million |
| 1990s | 6 per million |
| 2000s | 7 per million |
| 2010s | 3 per million |
| 2020s | 1 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,166 | #11,594 | – | – | – | – | – | – | #15,220 | – |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #8,892
- 9 babies, 5 per million boys
- Best rank
- #3,439 in 1986
- Most babies: 17 in 2002
- Babies since 1969
- At least 449
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 1 per million |
| 1980s | 4 per million |
| 1990s | 5 per million |
| 2000s | 5 per million |
| 2010s | 5 per million |
| 2020s | 5 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,591 | #10,740 | #7,602 | #8,197 | #7,483 | #8,139 | #7,750 | #12,205 | #14,217 | #8,892 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Yu
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- YueMoon; joy (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
- YuiBinding, tie (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- YunCloud (depends on characters) (Chinese, unisex)
- YuriLily in Japanese; glass in Korean (Japanese and Korean, girl)
- YaaBorn on Thursday (Akan, girl)
- YanSwallow (bird); beautiful (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
- YawBorn on Thursday (Akan, boy)
- YujiHeroic and two, often a second son (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- YukaGentle flower (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- ClementinaMerciful, gentle (Latin, girl)
- KevinGentle birth (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- BaranRain (Persian, unisex)
- ClemenceMerciful, gentle (Latin, girl)
- ClementMerciful, gentle (Latin, boy)
- ClementeMerciful, gentle (Latin, boy)
- ClementineMerciful, gentle (Latin, girl)
- HanaFlower in Japanese; one in Korean (Japanese and Korean, girl)
- JadeJade gemstone (Spanish, girl)
- AbdullatifServant of the Gentle (Arabic, boy)
Middle names for Yu
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- AbrahamFather of many (Hebrew, boy)
- BasilRoyal, kingly (Greek, boy)
- EvangelineGood news (Greek, girl)
- JamesSupplanter, holder of the heel (Hebrew, boy)
- LinneaTwinflower, a woodland flower (Swedish, girl)
- MarigoldMary's gold (English, girl)
- PhilippaLover of horses (Greek, girl)
- RowanLittle red one (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
Yu: common questions
What does the name Yu mean?
Yu comes from Chinese and Japanese and means "jade or rain in Chinese; gentle in Japanese".
Is Yu a boy or girl name?
Yu is used for both boys and girls.
Where does the name Yu come from?
Yu comes from Chinese and Japanese and means "jade or rain in Chinese; gentle in Japanese". Today it is used in Chinese and Japanese.
How do you pronounce Yu?
In Mandarin, say YOO. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How do you write Yu in Japanese?
Yu is written ゆう in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 優 (gentle), 勇 (courage) and 悠 (distant). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Yu?
Yu ranked #8,892 in the US in 2025, with 9 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Yu?
Names spelled like Yu include Yue, Yui, Yun, Yuri and Yaa.
What middle names go with Yu?
Middle names that flow well with Yu include Abraham, Basil, Evangeline, James and Linnea. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.