Yuri

Yuri - A very unique male name

Yuri appeared on the charts for the first time in 1969 on position #1630. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Yuri and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Yuri? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Yuri. The baby boy name Yuri was given to 43 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1828 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 34,100 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Yuri peaked in popularity 56 years ago in 1970 on position 1303.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Yuri, 1-5?

Yuri is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Yuri is currently topping the baby name charts in Massachusetts at position #505 - and is the least popular in New York at position #2,036.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Yuri is where you live.

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Yuri origin and meaning

Russian / Japanese — two traditions

In Russian, the form of George (Greek georgos, 'farmer'); in Japanese, a name that can mean 'lily' depending on characters

Yuri leads two lives: for Russian families it is the form of George borne by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, while in Japanese it is a girls' name written with characters such as 'lily'. American boys named Yuri, in the data since 1969, come mostly from the Russian tradition. Its highest US use came in 2024.

Origin uncertain

Yuri is a 4 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Yuri, pop culture references for the name Yuri and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Yuri

We've found the following names that sound similar to Yuri, sorted by popularity.

Yahir / Yair / Yeray / Yer / Yaro / Yhair / Yerai /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Yuri

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Yuri a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Yuri?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

YOOR-ee · /ˈjʊəriː/

Around the world

• Yuri (Russian) — Russian form of George
• Yurii (Ukrainian) — The Ukrainian form of the same name
• Yuri (Japanese) — A Japanese girls' name, unrelated in origin

Spellings and nicknames

• Yuriy — A transliteration variant of the Russian name
• Yury — Another transliteration variant

Famous bearers

• Yuri Gagarin — Soviet cosmonaut, the first human in space in 1961 (1934–1968) Historical

Style

InternationalClassic

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Yuri for a name with a heroic space-age namesake and a clean international sound. Boys' use in the US is at its highest yet.

Worth knowing

• In Japanese contexts Yuri is a girls' name — a genuine cross-cultural gender split
• Many Americans first meet it through the 'yuri' genre term from Japanese media