Yumi
Feminine · “bow”
Yumi is Japanese and, in its most striking writing, it is a bow — the tall asymmetric longbow of Japanese archery, held with two thirds of its length above the hand. Other kanji give it other meanings entirely.
How old is the name Yumi?
Yumi first appears in US birth records in 1960 — 65 years ago. The typical Yumi alive today was born around 2010, making them about 15 years old. About 1,000 people named Yumi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Yumi most popular?
Yumi peaked in 2025, reaching #2998 nationally. Today it ranks #2998, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Yumi
The yumi is the bow used in kyudo, Japanese archery, and it is unusual in shape — very long and gripped below the center, which is a design found almost nowhere else. Whether a family choosing the name means the weapon or one of the softer kanji is entirely their own business, and both are ordinary. The -mi ending, 'beauty', is one of the most productive elements in Japanese women's naming, closing Naomi, Emi, Megumi and a great many others. Yumi reaches United States records with Japanese families.
Meaningscholars disagree
bow — in one writing; reason and beauty in another
Japanese names are written in kanji and the sound yumi carries several. 弓 is the bow, the archer's weapon, which is a striking thing for a woman's name and a genuine one. 由美 is yu, 'reason' or 'cause', with mi, 'beauty'. 優美 gives grace and beauty. Which Yumi a person is depends on her family register, and the sound alone cannot say.
Pronouncing Yumi
YOO-mee
Two even beats in Japanese with no English-style stress and pure vowels throughout. American English adds a stress on the first, which is close enough to pass everywhere.
Nicknames for Yumi
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1960
- Most girls named
- 202555 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2998reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +3.8%55 in 2025, from 53
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Yumi in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- 弓 in Japanese — transliteration
- 由美 in Japanese — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Yumis among us
people named Yumi are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 29,223 born in 2025 was named Yumi
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Jalena test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Yumi's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Jalena climbed just as high around 2004, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Jalena's path sketches the road Yumi is walking now.
Yumi sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Yumi is headed
Yumi looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 18% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Yumi beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Yumi in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters, entirely phonetic, and said correctly by English speakers at first sight.
- A standard Japanese name with a long record rather than a recent invention.
- Two open syllables that pair well with almost any surname.
- Its meaning is not fixed by the sound, so no single gloss is complete without the kanji.
- It sits close to Yumi, Yuki and Yui in English speech and gets confused with all three.
- In the United States it is unfamiliar enough to be spelled out often.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Yumi to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Yumi? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Yumi
Feminine · #2998 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Yumis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Yumi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Yumi in 2025?
- Yumi ranks #2998 among US girl names in 2025, with 55 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Yumi?
- About 1 in every 29,223 US girls born in 2025 was named Yumi — 55 in all.
- Will my child share the name Yumi with classmates?
- Yumi will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Yumi
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Imara#2998 · Aniston#2998 · Hilda#2998 · Leiana#2998 · Amna#2998 · Halia#2998 · Kassie#2998 · Alize#2998
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Yumi? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Yumi and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle