Unisex name · Japanese and Korean
Yuri
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: lily in Japanese; glass in KoreanYuri is a gender-neutral name that comes from Japanese and Korean and means "lily in Japanese; glass in Korean". It is used in Russian, Japanese and Korean.
- Meaning
- Lily in Japanese; glass in Korean
- Origin
- Japanese and Korean
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #1533 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Yuri
As a boy's name, Yuri comes from Greek and means "farmer, earth worker". It is used in Russian.
As a girl's name, Yuri comes from Japanese and Korean and means "lily in Japanese; glass in Korean". It is used in Japanese and Korean.
Its meaning puts Yuri on our names that mean flower list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Yuri in Japanese
In hiragana, Yuri is ゆり. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 百合 | ゆり | 百 hundred + 合 fit, joinA special reading: the kanji are read as a whole. |
| 由里 | ゆり | 由 reason, cause + 里 village |
| 友里 | ゆり | 友 friend + 里 village |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Yuri on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Yuri on 4 lists.
“百合: lily. In anime fandom, yuri is also the name of the girls'-love genre”
From Anime girl names, anime girl names that mean flower
“Lily; the two kanji mean hundred and join.”
From Japanese girl names, japanese flower names for girls
“琉璃, glass; Sino-Korean word. In English it is also an anime genre term and a Russian boys' name. Say yoo-ree”
From Korean girl names, korean girl names that are also words
“Farmer; Greek, a Russian form of George. Diminutive Yura”
From Russian boy names, classic Russian boy names
How popular is Yuri?
In 2025, 139 girls and 88 boys in the US were named Yuri.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,533
- 139 babies, 86 per million girls
- Best rank
- #1,299 in 1987
- Most babies: 180 in 2022
- Babies since 1919
- At least 3,769
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 1 per million |
| 1920s | 4 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 1 per million |
| 1970s | 4 per million |
| 1980s | 44 per million |
| 1990s | 34 per million |
| 2000s | 34 per million |
| 2010s | 44 per million |
| 2020s | 90 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,127 | #2,267 | #2,331 | #1,744 | #1,590 | #1,697 | #1,318 | #1,454 | #1,491 | #1,533 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,825
- 88 babies, 52 per million boys
- Best rank
- #1,345 in 1976
- Most babies: 93 in 2022
- Babies since 1961
- At least 2,455
- 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 | 5 per million |
| 1970s | 16 per million |
| 1980s | 17 per million |
| 1990s | 14 per million |
| 2000s | 18 per million |
| 2010s | 33 per million |
| 2020s | 49 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,386 | #1,803 | #1,871 | #1,775 | #2,068 | #1,998 | #1,781 | #1,786 | #1,807 | #1,825 |
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.
Nicknames for Yuri
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Yuratraditional short form (Russian)
Names spelled like Yuri
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- YoriTo rely on, trust (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- YuiBinding, tie (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- YujiHeroic and two, often a second son (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- YukiSnow; happiness (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- YumiArchery bow (Japanese, girl)
- YuraShort form of Yuri, farmer (Greek, boy)
- YaliMy God (Hebrew, unisex)
- YejiInsight, wisdom (Korean, girl)
- YerinWise jade luster (depends on hanja) (Korean, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- LilianaLatinate form of Lillian, probably from Elizabeth or Lily (English, girl)
- LilyLily flower (English, girl)
- SusannaLily (Hebrew, girl)
- SusanneLily (Hebrew, girl)
- HanaFlower in Japanese; one in Korean (Japanese and Korean, girl)
- LillyVariant of Lily, the flower (English, girl)
- SanneLily flower (Hebrew, girl)
- SusanaLily (Hebrew, girl)
- YuJade or rain in Chinese; gentle in Japanese (Chinese and Japanese, unisex)
- AramRipe chestnuts, a native Korean word (Korean, girl)
Middle names for Yuri
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)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- FenellaWhite shoulder (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- JamesSupplanter, holder of the heel (Hebrew, boy)
- LeighMeadow, clearing (Old English, girl)
- LeopoldBold people (Germanic, boy)
- PorterGatekeeper (English, boy)
- WillowWillow tree (Old English, girl)
Yuri: common questions
What does the name Yuri mean?
Yuri comes from Japanese and Korean and means "lily in Japanese; glass in Korean". It also has another origin: "farmer, earth worker" from Greek.
Is Yuri a boy or girl name?
Yuri is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 139 girls and 88 boys in the US were named Yuri, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are nicknames for Yuri?
Common nicknames for Yuri include Yura.
How do you write Yuri in Japanese?
Yuri is written ゆり in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 百合 (a special reading), 由里 (reason + village) and 友里 (friend + village). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Yuri?
Yuri ranked #1,533 in the US in 2025, with 139 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Yuri?
Names spelled like Yuri include Yori, Yui, Yuji, Yuki and Yumi.
What middle names go with Yuri?
Middle names that flow well with Yuri include Amber, Amelia, Fenella, James and Leigh. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.