Unisex name · since 1969
Yu
Since 1969, U.S. Social Security records show 449 babies named Yu, peaking in 2002. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #8,417 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,382 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 449
- born since 1969
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yu currently ranks #8382 among unisex names in America, with 449 babies recorded since 1969.
Yu has 449 recorded births among boys since 1969, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8382 as of the latest data, more common than 40% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1969 to 2025.
- #8,417 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #8,382 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 449 born since 1969
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Yu ranks #8,417 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,382 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 449 born since 1969, peaking in the 2000s.
- #8,417 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,382 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 449
- born since 1969
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yu's 449 recorded births place it above 81.49% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by New York.
How Yu compares
449 Top 46% higher than 54% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Yu's all-time total is 22% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Yu | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 449 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 17 | 34 | 22,252 |
Yu's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Yu's full recorded timeline at 2002, 51% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 49% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1969, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2002 peak of 17 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Yu popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1969–2025
- Peak year (2002)
- 17
- Annual births at peak, across 57 years of records
Yu popularity over time - girls
381 total births recorded since 1972 (Yu as girls' name)
Yu by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (109 births, 24% of the file).
2000s was Yu's strongest decade.
109 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Yu births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
- 1970s 16
1970s
16 births
- 1980s
1980s
76 births
- 1990s
1990s
103 births
- 2000s
2000s
109 births
- 2010s
2010s
88 births
- 2020s
2020s
52 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 109 births (24% of all-time use).
Yu by state
Where Yu concentrates geographically, total births since 1969
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 66 | 14.7% |
| #2 | California | | 17 | 3.8% |
66 of 449 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Yu's data
- Yu's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (109 total births) through the 2020s (52) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Yus (66 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Yu
Nearby Names Like Yu
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Yu
Compare Yu side by side: Yu vs Yusuf Yu vs Yusef Yu vs Yuri
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Yu
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Yu: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2002)
Similar record span (~56 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1969–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Yu draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.