Yori Name Meaning, Origins & History

Yori

Pronunciation: YOR-ee

Meaning Honest, truthful Origin Japanese Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#10,085
TREND
951

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Yori in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Yori

  • 102 babies named Yori: U.S. records list 102 babies given the name Yori from 1880 through 2025. Even 6 boys received the name Yori - about 1 boy for every 16 girls.

What Does the Name Yori Mean?

Yori is a Japanese name built on the element yori, written 頼, which means "reliance" or "trust" - the sense of leaning on or depending on someone. Because Japanese given names are written with kanji chosen for each person, the name is not tied to one fixed spelling, and the meaning follows the characters used; 頼 carries the sense of reliance and trust.

The everyday Japanese particle yori, meaning "from" or "than," is a different word, normally written in kana, and is not the source of the name.

Yori Name History & Origins

The element yori appears in Japanese personal names from the Heian period onward. Minamoto no Yorimitsu (源 頼光), a tenth-century courtier and warrior, and Minamoto no Yoritomo (源 頼朝, 1147 - 1199), who became the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, both bear the character 頼 as the first element of a longer compound name. The general Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (源 頼義, 988 - 1075) is another early example.

Yori also stands by itself as a given name in modern Japan, written with the same 頼 or with other characters chosen by the family. Its use as a standalone name grew out of the same naming element seen in the older compound forms rather than from a separate source.

How Popular is the Name Yori?

Yori 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 2021. Its best rank was #8,953 in 2021.

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.

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 Yori Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.

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.

✦ Yori's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yori's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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