Fun Facts About the Name Yuma
- 460 babies named Yuma: U.S. records list 460 babies given the name Yuma from 1880 through 2025. Even 103 girls received the name Yuma - about 1 girl for every 3 boys.
What Does the Name Yuma Mean?
Yuma has no single settled meaning, because the name comes from two unrelated sources: a Japanese given name and an American name taken from the Quechan people of the lower Colorado River.
In Japanese, Yuma is written with kanji chosen by the family, so the meaning comes from the characters rather than from the sound yūma. The first syllable is often 悠 yū, "distant, unhurried," or 優 yū, "gentle, excellent." The second is often 真 ma, "truth," or 馬 ma, "horse." The spelling 悠真 is commonly understood as something like "unhurried truth," while 悠馬 or 優真 give the same name a different sense. There is no fixed translation.
The other Yuma is the name English took from Spanish for the Quechan people, and later for the Arizona city and county named after them. Its deeper origin in the Native languages of the lower Colorado River is uncertain; the popular gloss "son of the chief" is repeated in name books but is not firmly documented. The Japanese name and the Southwestern American name are not related.
Yuma Name History & Origins
In Japan, Yuma is a masculine given name whose first vowel is long, so romanizations such as Yūma and Yuuma also appear. Like most Japanese given names, it has no fixed spelling: the same sound can be written with many kanji combinations, and families choose characters for their meanings, their look, or their sound. The name also appears as the first name of characters in Japanese manga and anime, including World Trigger.
The American name began with the Quechan, a people living along the Colorado River near what is now the Arizona-California border. Spanish speakers in the colonial period called them Yumas, and English speakers adopted the word for the river crossing and for Fort Yuma, the military post established on the California side. The settlement on the Arizona side, earlier called Arizona City, was renamed Yuma in 1873, and the name was also given to Yuma County. The people themselves are now generally called Quechan, while "Yuma" survives mainly in place names and in the historical label "Yuma Indian."
How Popular is the Name Yuma?
Yuma 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 2014. Its best rank was #4,694 in 2014.
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 | #17,211 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #15,176 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #15,237 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #17,924 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #13,744 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #18,359 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #11,752 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #19,031 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #19,510 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #19,764 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #17,443 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #15,440 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #12,399 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #14,144 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,780 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #10,554 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,231 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #7,275 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #7,747 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #8,135 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #5,966 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #6,758 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #6,691 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #6,670 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #6,334 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #5,737 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #4,694 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2013 | #5,396 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #8,846 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #7,487 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #7,574 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #5,788 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #5,063 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2007 | #10,890 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #7,981 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #10,126 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #8,131 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #12,726 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #7,627 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #8,319 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #6,826 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #7,867 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #7,545 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #6,605 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #6,400 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #8,787 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #7,628 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #6,405 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #5,218 | 6 | 0.0004% |
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 Yuma 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.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Yuma's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yuma's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.