Fun Facts About the Name Ural
- 407 babies named Ural: U.S. records list 407 babies given the name Ural from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ural Mean?
Ural is a masculine given name used mainly in Turkic-speaking areas - Bashkortostan and Tatarstan in Russia, and Kazakhstan - and in Turkey. It is taken from the name of the Ural Mountains and the Ural River, so its meaning rests on that place name, whose origin is not settled.
The most common explanation treats the toponym as a Turkic word for "belt" or "girdle," picturing a mountain chain that wraps across the land; Russian speakers once called the same mountains Kamen ("stone") and Poyas ("belt"), an image that fits this reading. A different, traditional explanation appears in the Bashkir epic Ural-batyr, in which the mountains are named for the hero. Because these accounts compete and the older Turkic form is not securely documented, the literal meaning of Ural is best described as uncertain.
Ural Name History & Origins
The Ural Mountains and the Ural River gave this name its currency. Early Russian records called the mountain range Kamen ("stone") and Poyas ("belt"), and the name Ural appears in Russian writing about the region in the 17th and 18th centuries, becoming the usual term for the range as Russian mining and mapping pushed eastward.
The river had a separate history. It was long known as the Yaik, a Turkic name (the Kazakh name for the river, Zhaiyq, comes from the same source). After the Pugachev rebellion of 1773 - 1775, which began among the Yaik Cossacks, Catherine the Great ordered the river renamed the Ural; the Yaik Cossacks became the Ural Cossacks, and the town of Yaitsk became Uralsk.
As a personal name, Ural is given chiefly by Turkic-speaking peoples of the region - Bashkirs and Tatars in Russia, and Kazakhs - and in Turkey, where it also appears as a surname. In Russian it works mainly as a place name rather than a traditional personal name.
The Bashkir epic Ural-batyr, which circulated orally and was written down in modern times, offers a traditional account: the hero Ural dies after his battles, and the mountains are said to take his name, while his brother Shulgan gives his name to a river in the region. Such stories are traditional explanations rather than documented etymology.
How Popular is the Name Ural?
Ural 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 1927. Its best rank was #1,096 in 1896.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | #5,395 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #4,115 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #3,235 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #3,523 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #4,013 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,616 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #4,629 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1960 | #3,063 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #4,538 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #3,914 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #3,240 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #3,521 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,857 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #4,224 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #4,219 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #3,278 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #2,849 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1944 | #3,871 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #3,216 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1941 | #3,968 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1939 | #2,436 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1938 | #2,178 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1937 | #3,159 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1936 | #2,840 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1935 | #3,238 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1934 | #4,165 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1933 | #2,205 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1932 | #2,185 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1931 | #2,092 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1930 | #3,272 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #3,337 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #1,744 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1926 | #4,788 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #2,924 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1924 | #2,625 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1923 | #2,435 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1922 | #2,339 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1921 | #3,495 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1920 | #2,331 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1919 | #4,761 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #3,694 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1917 | #2,937 | 9 | 0.0010% |
| 1916 | #3,159 | 8 | 0.0009% |
| 1915 | #2,298 | 12 | 0.0014% |
| 1914 | #2,259 | 10 | 0.0015% |
| 1913 | #3,230 | 5 | 0.0010% |
| 1912 | #2,878 | 5 | 0.0012% |
| 1908 | #1,575 | 5 | 0.0032% |
| 1906 | #1,236 | 6 | 0.0045% |
| 1896 | #1,096 | 6 | 0.0050% |
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 Ural Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have talent, charm and luck. You can succeed in art and in any educational occupation. You attract peculiar experiences. Your power and protection lies in spiritual side of life. You are an enthusiastic collector and you will be tenacious in holding onto the things you accumulate. You have a good memory and should make an effort to have a positive attitude. 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.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Ural's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ural's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.