Maru
Below 5 births
Below 5 births
About Maru
Spirited yet gentle in sound, Maru is a multicultural and unisex option. Associated with an internet-famous cat from Japan, a Māori god of war and fresh water, and a character in the game Stardew Valley, it makes an appealing and intriguing choice.
Maru for girls
Maru has a variety of different meanings depending on what root you follow. In Japanese, it means "circle", while in Amharic, it has the sweet meaning of "honey". In Tswana, it is related to the clouds and to rain, but as a Spanish name, it is a contracted form of Maria Eugenia, meaning "beloved and wellborn".
It may additionally have its roots in Sanskrit, from which it means "desert, dry, sandy" and in Māori, from which it could mean "safety" or "gentle".
Maru for boys
Gentle in sound, multicultural in origin, and cool and succinct in style, the name Maru is fresh feeling choice. Borne by a Scottish Straight cat from Japan (once dubbed the most famous cat on the internet), the name was also chosen by actress Madison Reyes for her son in 2025.
Maru has its roots in Japanese, in which it means "circle", and in Amharic, from which it gets the sweet meaning "honey". In Tswana, it is related to rain clouds, while in Māori, it is the name of a god of war and fresh water, best known in southern New Zealand, and possibly related to the words marino and mārū meaning "gentle, calm" or to marutau and haumaru meaning "safe, safety".
Maru is also used as a Spanish 'smoosh' name, usually as a contracted form of Marie Eugenia, but it could be used for a name like Matteo Ruben, Marcos Eugenio, or similar. Additionally, it is used as an Indian surname, likely referring to a region of India called Marwar which ultimately gets its name from a Sanskrit word meaning "desert, sandy, dry".
Pronounced MAR-oo.
As of October 2026, Maru ranked #14585 in US births in 2024 SSA.