Fun Facts About the Name Yuri
- More than 6 thousand babies named Yuri: U.S. records list 6,223 babies given the name Yuri from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 2,455 boys received the name Yuri - about 1 boy for every 2 girls.
What Does the Name Yuri Mean?
Yuri is the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian masculine form of the name known in English as George. It goes back to the Greek Γεώργιος (Geōrgios), built from gē, "earth," and ergon, "work." The literal sense is "earth-worker," usually translated simply as "farmer."
The same sound stands for a separate Japanese name. Japanese given names are written with kanji, and the reading yuri can be matched to many different characters. The best-known combination, 百合, means "lily," but other kanji give unrelated meanings, so the Japanese name has no single fixed sense.
Korean 유리 (Yuri) is a third name with its own source. It commonly reflects the ordinary Korean word for "glass," and the Sino-Korean characters 琉璃, meaning "lapis lazuli" or "glazed glass," appear in early Korean royal names. The Slavic, Japanese, and Korean names resemble one another only in sound.
Yuri Name History & Origins
Greek Georgios entered the East Slavic languages with the Christianization of Kievan Rus' in the late tenth century. Beside the church form Георгий (Georgiy), Old Russian used a popular form written Гюрги (Gyurgi), closer to the Byzantine pronunciation of the Greek name. From that line came Юрий (Yuri) and also Егор (Yegor). Yuri and Georgiy are treated as the same name, so church calendars and records often pair them. The Ukrainian form is Юрій (Yuriy); the Belarusian form is Юрый (Yury).
The name appears early among the rulers of Rus'. Yuri Dolgoruky (c. 1099 - 1157), prince of Suzdal and later Grand Prince of Kiev, is traditionally credited with founding Moscow, which the chronicles first mention in 1147. The name remained in use among the Rurikid princes and over the centuries spread through other levels of society. In the Russian peasant calendar, Saint George's Day was called Юрьев день (Yuri's Day), an autumn date tied to the end of field work and, before later legal restrictions, to the customary right of peasants to change masters. A twentieth-century bearer was Yuri Gagarin, the first person to fly in space.
The Japanese name developed independently. It is read from kanji and is used mainly for girls; the word yuri (百合), "lily," also has a long place in Japanese poetry. Korean Yuri has its own history: the characters 瑠璃 appear in the name of Yuri, an early king of Goguryeo, though whether such early royal names were meaningful words or phonetic renderings of native Korean names is debated.
How Popular is the Name Yuri?
Yuri 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 2022. Its best rank was #1,299 in 1987.
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 | #1,533 | 139 | 0.0086% |
| 2024 | #1,491 | 146 | 0.0091% |
| 2023 | #1,450 | 154 | 0.0096% |
| 2022 | #1,316 | 180 | 0.0110% |
| 2021 | #1,695 | 123 | 0.0075% |
| 2020 | #1,589 | 132 | 0.0082% |
| 2019 | #1,744 | 119 | 0.0071% |
| 2018 | #2,331 | 79 | 0.0046% |
| 2017 | #2,267 | 83 | 0.0048% |
| 2016 | #2,127 | 92 | 0.0052% |
| 2015 | #2,405 | 77 | 0.0043% |
| 2014 | #3,004 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 2013 | #2,437 | 75 | 0.0043% |
| 2012 | #2,863 | 61 | 0.0035% |
| 2011 | #2,637 | 68 | 0.0039% |
| 2010 | #2,902 | 60 | 0.0034% |
| 2009 | #2,423 | 80 | 0.0044% |
| 2008 | #2,317 | 85 | 0.0045% |
| 2007 | #2,455 | 77 | 0.0040% |
| 2006 | #2,352 | 81 | 0.0043% |
| 2005 | #3,457 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2004 | #2,554 | 66 | 0.0036% |
| 2003 | #3,288 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2002 | #2,975 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 2001 | #3,006 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2000 | #2,938 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1999 | #3,568 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1998 | #2,928 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 1997 | #2,555 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 1996 | #3,026 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 1995 | #2,455 | 53 | 0.0030% |
| 1994 | #2,464 | 52 | 0.0029% |
| 1993 | #2,175 | 62 | 0.0034% |
| 1992 | #2,058 | 67 | 0.0036% |
| 1991 | #1,574 | 98 | 0.0052% |
| 1990 | #1,511 | 103 | 0.0054% |
| 1989 | #1,413 | 106 | 0.0057% |
| 1988 | #1,426 | 98 | 0.0055% |
| 1987 | #1,299 | 108 | 0.0062% |
| 1986 | #1,483 | 85 | 0.0050% |
| 1985 | #1,709 | 68 | 0.0040% |
| 1984 | #1,631 | 68 | 0.0040% |
| 1983 | #1,511 | 76 | 0.0045% |
| 1982 | #1,565 | 76 | 0.0045% |
| 1981 | #2,059 | 51 | 0.0031% |
| 1980 | #5,541 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #11,960 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #6,889 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1976 | #8,152 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #7,976 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #7,674 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #8,281 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #5,541 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #5,055 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #5,052 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #5,641 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #7,844 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1928 | #4,189 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1926 | #4,845 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #5,890 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #2,915 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1922 | #4,439 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #5,094 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #3,338 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1919 | #5,554 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,825 | 88 | 0.0052% |
| 2024 | #1,803 | 91 | 0.0053% |
| 2023 | #1,785 | 91 | 0.0053% |
| 2022 | #1,781 | 93 | 0.0053% |
| 2021 | #1,998 | 75 | 0.0043% |
| 2020 | #2,067 | 69 | 0.0040% |
| 2019 | #1,775 | 88 | 0.0049% |
| 2018 | #1,871 | 81 | 0.0045% |
| 2017 | #1,803 | 85 | 0.0046% |
| 2016 | #2,386 | 55 | 0.0029% |
| 2015 | #2,232 | 61 | 0.0032% |
| 2014 | #2,203 | 62 | 0.0032% |
| 2013 | #2,712 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2012 | #2,904 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2011 | #2,230 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2010 | #2,400 | 53 | 0.0028% |
| 2009 | #2,661 | 47 | 0.0024% |
| 2008 | #2,289 | 58 | 0.0028% |
| 2007 | #2,563 | 49 | 0.0024% |
| 2006 | #2,831 | 41 | 0.0020% |
| 2005 | #3,387 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 2004 | #3,284 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 2003 | #2,671 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 2002 | #3,448 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #3,839 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2000 | #3,637 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #3,585 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #3,844 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #2,979 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1996 | #2,588 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1995 | #2,846 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1994 | #3,324 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1993 | #2,508 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1992 | #2,361 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1991 | #2,225 | 33 | 0.0016% |
| 1990 | #2,307 | 31 | 0.0015% |
| 1989 | #2,152 | 33 | 0.0016% |
| 1988 | #2,144 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1987 | #2,114 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1986 | #1,961 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1985 | #1,973 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1984 | #2,034 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1983 | #1,746 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1982 | #1,676 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1981 | #2,137 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1980 | #1,617 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1979 | #2,047 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1978 | #2,068 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 1977 | #2,007 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1976 | #1,345 | 44 | 0.0028% |
| 1975 | #2,133 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1974 | #2,797 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1973 | #1,780 | 26 | 0.0017% |
| 1972 | #1,769 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 1971 | #1,705 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1970 | #1,460 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1969 | #1,679 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1968 | #1,427 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1967 | #2,138 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1966 | #2,781 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #4,036 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,038 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #3,096 | 9 | 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 Yuri 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 are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Yuri's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yuri's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.