Fun Facts About the Name Sumi
- 211 babies named Sumi: U.S. records list 211 babies given the name Sumi from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Sumi Mean?
Sumi is a feminine name with more than one origin; in Japanese it can mean "clear beauty," and in Korean it can mean "outstanding beauty," depending on the characters used. In Japanese, the name is written with kanji chosen by the family. One written form is 澄美, in which 澄 conveys clarity and 美 means "beauty"; hiragana すみ has no kanji-derived meaning. The separate Japanese word 墨 (sumi), "ink," does not define the name unless that character is deliberately used.
In Korean, 수미 (usually romanized Su-mi or Sumi) is a two-syllable feminine name. When written with hanja, one established combination is 秀美, from 秀 (su, "excellent, outstanding") and 美 (mi, "beauty"). Because Korean names can be written in Hangul only, 수미 has no fixed meaning without specified hanja.
In South Asia, Sumi is also used as a feminine name and can be a shortened form of a longer name. For example, Sumitra is a Sanskrit name built from su- ("good") and mitra ("friend"), meaning "good friend." A Sumi used as a short form of Sumitra would inherit that fuller name's meaning rather than have an independent etymology.
Sumi Name History & Origins
Japanese names pronounced Sumi are not tied to one written form. Many Japanese women's names end in the element 美 (mi), and parents can pair it with different first elements; the same sound Sumi can therefore represent different kanji combinations. Hiragana すみ is also used, and in that form the name has no kanji-derived meaning. This flexibility is a feature of Japanese naming rather than evidence of a single ancestral name.
In Korea, 수미 (Su-mi) is a two-syllable feminine given name. Korean names of this shape are commonly built from Sino-Korean hanja, but the Hangul spelling does not identify which hanja are intended. A name written 수미 may use 秀美 or another combination that produces the same sound. A Hangul-only name has no hanja meaning, and the English spelling Sumi does not settle the question.
In South Asia, Sumi is used as a familiar short form of longer feminine names. The short form has no separate etymology of its own; its meaning comes from the full name. Sumitra is one longer name that can be shortened this way. A bearer called Sumi may therefore carry the meaning of a full name rather than a meaning attached to Sumi itself.
How Popular is the Name Sumi?
Sumi has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1922. Its best rank was #3,535 in 1927.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #16,983 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #14,959 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #17,454 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #17,392 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #14,900 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #13,639 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #15,710 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #18,903 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #19,861 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #17,365 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #19,703 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #18,078 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #13,899 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #10,112 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #9,091 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #9,484 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #8,901 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #8,598 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #7,510 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #7,178 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1933 | #3,703 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #4,504 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #4,661 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #3,535 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1926 | #3,846 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1925 | #3,986 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1924 | #3,629 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1923 | #5,626 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1922 | #3,626 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #4,400 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1919 | #4,745 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #4,749 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1917 | #4,038 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #5,068 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Sumi Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Sumi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sumi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.