Fun Facts About the Name Suri
- More than 3 thousand babies named Suri: U.S. records list 3,510 babies given the name Suri from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Suri Mean?
Suri has two independent backgrounds. In Jewish use it is a familiar form of Sarah, the Hebrew name of the biblical matriarch. Sarah comes from a Hebrew root meaning "to rule" and is commonly translated "princess" or "noblewoman," and Suri carries that sense because it is a shortened, affectionate form of the same name. In South Asia, Suri is connected with Sanskrit sūri, "wise" or "learned," a respectful word for a scholar or religious teacher, and also with sura, "god" or "divine being." A third explanation, repeated in news reports, holds that Suri means "red rose" in Persian; ordinary Persian uses gol for rose and sorkh for red, so this appears to be a popular association rather than a documented etymology.
Suri Name History & Origins
Sarah is the name of Abraham's wife in the book of Genesis, and it has been used continuously in Jewish communities. Yiddish speakers formed short and affectionate versions of it, including Sura and the diminutive Suri; these remain in use in Jewish families and in Israel.
In northern India, Suri is found mainly as a surname, and it is also sometimes given as a personal name. The Sanskrit word sūri is a title of respect for a learned man, and in Jain tradition it is used for the head of a monastic order, which may lie behind the name's scholarly tone.
Suri is also an ethnonym and a place name: the Suri are a Nilotic people of southwestern Ethiopia, and Suri is a town in West Bengal, India. These uses are separate from the personal name and do not explain its meaning.
The name reached a wide English-speaking audience in 2006, when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes gave it to their daughter; press coverage of the birth repeated the "princess" and "red rose" glosses.
How Popular is the Name Suri?
Suri 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 2012. Its best rank was #1,029 in 2012.
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 | #1,940 | 100 | 0.0062% |
| 2024 | #1,628 | 127 | 0.0079% |
| 2023 | #1,653 | 126 | 0.0079% |
| 2022 | #1,568 | 136 | 0.0083% |
| 2021 | #1,473 | 146 | 0.0089% |
| 2020 | #1,585 | 133 | 0.0082% |
| 2019 | #1,685 | 125 | 0.0075% |
| 2018 | #1,647 | 129 | 0.0076% |
| 2017 | #1,612 | 135 | 0.0078% |
| 2016 | #1,655 | 131 | 0.0074% |
| 2015 | #1,507 | 151 | 0.0085% |
| 2014 | #1,350 | 174 | 0.0097% |
| 2013 | #1,109 | 220 | 0.0125% |
| 2012 | #1,029 | 247 | 0.0140% |
| 2011 | #1,188 | 203 | 0.0115% |
| 2010 | #1,100 | 227 | 0.0128% |
| 2009 | #1,141 | 223 | 0.0121% |
| 2008 | #1,198 | 213 | 0.0113% |
| 2007 | #1,248 | 199 | 0.0104% |
| 2006 | #1,290 | 184 | 0.0097% |
| 2005 | #7,456 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #6,184 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #13,683 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #8,229 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #9,286 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #14,802 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #14,210 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #15,584 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #13,190 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #13,231 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #11,660 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #12,947 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #10,258 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #12,592 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #8,891 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #10,240 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #11,079 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #8,904 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #6,522 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #7,514 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #5,770 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #6,142 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #6,017 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #6,784 | 5 | 0.0002% |
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 Suri 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.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Suri's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Suri's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.