Unisex name · Japanese
Yuki
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: snow; happiness (depends on characters)Yuki is a gender-neutral name that comes from Japanese and means "snow; happiness (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Snow; happiness (depends on characters)
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- YOO-kee
Meaning and origin of Yuki
As a gender-neutral name, Yuki comes from Japanese and means "snow; happiness (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
Say it YOO-kee. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Yuki in Japanese
In hiragana, Yuki is ゆき. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 幸 | ゆき | 幸 happiness, blessing |
| 優希 | ゆき | 優 gentle, excellent + 希 hope, rare |
| 雪 | ゆき | 雪 snow |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Yuki on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Yuki on 7 lists.
“雪: snow. Pure and quiet”
From Anime girl names, anime girl names from sky, sea and seasons
“Lyndon Johnson's scruffy mutt, found at a Texas gas station”
From Boy dog names, famous real boy dogs
“Japanese for snow, gentle and cool”
From Cool PSN names, short PSN ID ideas
“Snow or happiness; Japanese, written 雪 or 幸. Say YOO-kee”
From Gender neutral names, unisex names from Asia and the Pacific
“Courage; also 優希, gentle hope. Used for both genders.”
From Japanese boy names, strong Japanese boy names
“Gentle hope, when written 優希; Japanese”
From Names that mean hope, unisex names that mean hope
“Snow; happiness (depends on characters). Japanese 雪 is snow”
From Nature names, rain, snow, mist and wind names
How popular is Yuki?
In 2025, 24 girls and 13 boys in the US were named Yuki.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #5,399
- 24 babies, 15 per million girls
- Best rank
- #3,488 in 2004
- 43 babies that year
- Babies since 1915
- At least 1,067
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 1 per million |
| 1920s | 2 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 2 per million |
| 1970s | 5 per million |
| 1980s | 5 per million |
| 1990s | 8 per million |
| 2000s | 15 per million |
| 2010s | 16 per million |
| 2020s | 15 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,630 | #5,184 | #5,147 | #4,540 | #5,480 | #4,953 | #6,969 | #5,380 | #4,555 | #5,399 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #6,790
- 13 babies, 8 per million boys
- Best rank
- #3,020 in 1996
- 25 babies that year
- Babies since 1986
- At least 567
- 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 | 0 per million |
| 1980s | 2 per million |
| 1990s | 8 per million |
| 2000s | 9 per million |
| 2010s | 7 per million |
| 2020s | 6 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,308 | #7,532 | #8,138 | #6,396 | #8,047 | #10,762 | #6,809 | #8,899 | #6,821 | #6,790 |
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 Yuki
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- YuriLily in Japanese; glass in Korean (Japanese and Korean, girl)
- YuiBinding, tie (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- YujiHeroic and two, often a second son (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- YukaGentle flower (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- YukioFortunate man (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- YukoGentle child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- YumiArchery bow (Japanese, girl)
- YaliMy God (Hebrew, unisex)
- YejiInsight, wisdom (Korean, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- FarahJoy, happiness (Arabic, girl)
- AnandBliss, happiness (Sanskrit, boy)
- BeatriceFrom Beatrix, she who brings happiness (Latin, girl)
- CharaJoy, happiness (Greek, girl)
- ChimwemweJoy, happiness (Chichewa, unisex)
- DestaJoy, happiness (Amharic, unisex)
- EdurneSnow (Basque, girl)
- EftychiaHappiness, good fortune (Greek, girl)
- EiraSnow, snowfall (Welsh, girl)
- FarshadSplendor, happiness (Persian, boy)
Middle names for Yuki
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- AmberAmber, golden fossil resin (Arabic, girl)
- AoifeBeauty, radiance (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- ElizaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- HenryHome ruler (Germanic, boy)
- PaigeYoung servant, page (Old French, girl)
- SabineSabine woman (Latin, girl)
- SaoirseFreedom, liberty (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- TheodoraGift of God (Greek, girl)
More names from Japanese
- AiLove; indigo (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- KaiSea (Japanese, boy)
- AikoBeloved child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AimiLove and beauty, written 愛美 (Japanese, girl)
- AkaneDeep red, madder (Japanese, girl)
- AkariLamplight (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AkemiBright beauty (Japanese, girl)
- AkiSecond and hope, written 亜希 (Japanese, girl)
- AkihikoBright prince (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AkihiroBright and wide (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
Yuki: common questions
What does the name Yuki mean?
Yuki comes from Japanese and means "snow; happiness (depends on characters)".
Is Yuki a boy or girl name?
Yuki is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 24 girls and 13 boys in the US were named Yuki, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Yuki come from?
Yuki comes from Japanese and means "snow; happiness (depends on characters)". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you pronounce Yuki?
Say YOO-kee. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How do you write Yuki in Japanese?
Yuki is written ゆき in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 幸 (happiness), 優希 (gentle + hope) and 雪 (snow). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Yuki?
Yuki ranked #5,399 in the US in 2025, with 24 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Yuki?
Names spelled like Yuki include Yuri, Yui, Yuji, Yuka and Yukio.
What middle names go with Yuki?
Middle names that flow well with Yuki include Amber, Aoife, Eliza, Henry and Paige. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.