Names Ending in U for Boys

Boy names ending in U are uncommon and unique.

Beau is the most popular boy name ending with U right now. Along with Beau, the only other boy name that ends with U in the US Top 1000 is Keanu.

Unique boy names that end with the letter U that we see having potential for wider use in the US include the nouveau Cru, the Biblical Esau, the Old Man nickname Lou, and the respelled virtue name Tru.

Here are all Nameberry’s boy names that end with the letter U. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.
  1. Beau
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "handsome"
    • Description:

      Beau suggests someone devilishly handsome, with a large measure of southern charm—a nice image to bestow on your boy. Often solely a nickname in the past, it's now standing firmly on its own. Beau has been on the Social Security list non-stop since 1969.
  2. Atreyu
    • Origin:

      Literary invention
    • Meaning:

      "son of all"
    • Description:

      German author Michael Ende created the name Atreyu for the protagonist of his 1979 novel The Neverending Story. In the original German translation of the book, the hero was Atréju — Atreyu is the Anglicized variation. Atreyu was orphaned as an infant and raised by his village — his name is said to mean "son of all" in the local language.
  3. Goku
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "aware of emptiness"
    • Description:

      Goku is the name of the protagonist of the popular "Dragon Ball" manga series, which was turned into a live action film. The character of Goku is reportedly based on Sun Wukong, the hero of the Chinese legend Journey to the West.
  4. Keanu
    • Origin:

      Hawaiian
    • Meaning:

      "the coolness, or the cool breeze"
    • Description:

      An evocative name brought from Hawaii to the mainland by Keanu Reeves, who was born in Beirut to a part-Hawaiian, part-Chinese father. It moved into the Top 1000 for the first time in over a decade in 2016. Keanu ranks among
  5. Cru
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Crew or short form of Cruz or Crusoe
    • Description:

      The short, clipped Cru is one of those modern names that's starting to find favor -- it was given to nearly 50 boys last year, while Crew has vaulted onto the Top 1000. One inspiration is undoubtedly the Spanish name Cruz, which came to wider attention via the third son of Victoria and David Beckham. Cru has a handsome sound and a modern feel.
  6. Ryu
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "dragon"
    • Description:

      This attractive mini-name combines multiple trends: the R initial, vowel-ending boy names, and a fantastical meaning.
  7. Lou
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Louis or Lewis, French and German
    • Meaning:

      "renowned warrior"
    • Description:

      Lou, all by itself, is become fashionable for girls, which usually makes a name LESS fashionable for boys. But Lou, like Bill or Jim, is rarely used on its own for boys anyway. (You wouldn't name a boy Frederick Lou the way that girls are named Mary Lou or, in the case of Keri Russell's new baby, Willa Lou.) Long form Louis is getting cool again and, with the Lewis spelling, is the Number 2 name in Scotland.
  8. Blu
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "blue"
    • Description:

      Blu is a new (nu?) spelling of an increasingly popular color name, also spelled Blue and Bleu. Blu is the spelling used for one of the Waldrop sextuplets.
  9. Hikaru
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "light or radiance"
    • Description:

      This name with a beautiful meaning can be used for girls as well as boys.
  10. Zeru
    • Origin:

      Basque
    • Meaning:

      "sky"
    • Description:

      English speakers will think you invented this one, but it's a hidden nature name from the Basque country in present-day Spain. Some may find it too close to "zero" for comfort.
  11. Manu
    • Origin:

      Finnish, Maori, Hawaiian, Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "greatest; bird; wise"
    • Description:

      An international name that, although short and simple, sounds strong and distinctive.

  12. Thoreau
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "strength of a bull"
    • Description:

      A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. The most common modern American pronunciation is "thor-OH", with emphasis on the final syllable, although Thoreau himself pronounced it "THOR-oh".
  13. Esau
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "hairy"
    • Description:

      Esau is one of the neglected E-beginning boys' biblical choices--it's been off the popularity lists since 1902! The name of Jacob's twin brother, son of Isaac and Rebecca, Esau could make an ideal twin choice, if you don't mind its meaning and the difficult story in the Bible behind the name, as convoluted and full of drama, tragedy, and reconciliation as any soap opera
  14. Marceau
    • Origin:

      French variation of Marcel
    • Meaning:

      "little warrior"
    • Description:

      Mime Marcel Marceau actually had two versions of the same name. Marcel, Marceau, Marcella, Marcus, Mark -- all are variation of the Roman mythological name Mars, the god of war.
  15. Hoku
    • Origin:

      Hawaiian
    • Meaning:

      "night of the full moon"
    • Description:

      Like a large proportion of traditional Hawaiian names, Hoku can be used for both girls and boys.
  16. Aaru
    • Origin:

      Egyptian
    • Meaning:

      "peaceful"
    • Description:

      Egyptian mythology place-name with an intriguing sound and appealingly peaceful meaning. Update for Aaron?
  17. Kwaku
    • Origin:

      Ghanaian, Akan, Twi
    • Meaning:

      "Born on a Wednesday"
    • Description:

      The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday).
  18. Bayu
    • Origin:

      Indonesian
    • Meaning:

      "wind"
    • Description:

      Bayou? No, but it sounds the same, and since both the Indonesian name and the English word have appealing nature meanings, this is a perfect choice for the family that wants to bridge cultures.
  19. Tru
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Truman, English
    • Meaning:

      "loyal one"
    • Description:

      The nickname of writer Capote can also be seen as a shortened spelling of the virtuous TRUE.
  20. Izuku
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "long exit"
    • Description:

      Famously the name of Izuku Midoriya, the protagonist of the popular anime series My Hero Academia. It is not a common name among Japanese boys.