Now on iOS & AndroidSwipe baby names with your partner — match on names you both love.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
Nameberry Logo

735 Baby Names That Start With Y (With Meanings and Popularity)

735 Baby Names That Start With Y (With Meanings and Popularity)

Baby names that start with Y are beautiful but uncommon, with only ten ranking in the US Top 1000. The most common Y name for girls is Yara, a multicultural names with origins in Arabic, Portuguese, and Persian, among others. For boys, the Arabic name Yusuf tops the list — this and spelling variation Yousef rank considerably higher in England than in the US.

Along with Yara, other girl names beginning with Y in the US Top 1000 include Yaretzi, Yareli, and Yamileth. In addition to Yusuf, other boy names starting with Y in the US Top 1000 include Yosef, Yahya, Yehuda, Yahir, Yousef, and Yael.

Y names are heating up for boys in the US, driven primarily by Yiddish and Hebrew names like Yehuda, Yisroel, Yitzchok, Yaakov, and Yeshua.

Unique names with the Y initial include prepster names Yardley, Yale, Yeats, and York. Among the international options that begin with the letter Y we recommend are the Russian Yasha, Japanese Yoko, Arabic Yasir, and Israeli Yonit and Yarden, the original name from which Jordan derived.

Here, our full selection of names that start with Y, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

Related:

Search Names by Letter

Baby Names A-Z

  1. Yves
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "yew wood"
  2. Yara
    • Origin:

      Arabic, Persian, Brazilian, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "friend, helper; strength; water nymph; honeycomb"
  3. Yuna
    • Origin:

      Japanese, Breton, Korean, Chinese, Dutch
    • Meaning:

      "superiority, gentleness, or citrus fruit; lamb; willow, abundant, child, happy + to reach, to hold; jade + elegant, beautiful; June"
  4. Yvaine
    • Origin:

      Female variation of Yvain or Scottish
    • Meaning:

      "evening star"
  5. Yvette
    • Origin:

      French, feminine of Yves
    • Meaning:

      "yew tree"
  6. Yvonne
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "yew wood"
  7. Ysella
    • Origin:

      Cornish
    • Meaning:

      "modest"
  8. Yancy
    • Origin:

      American variation of Jansen, Dutch, Native American
    • Meaning:

      "son of Jan; yankee"
  9. Ymir
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "cry"
  10. Yaretzi
    • Origin:

      Nahuatl, Aztec
    • Meaning:

      "you will always be loved"
  11. Yuki
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "snow; happiness"
  12. Yuli
    • Yolanda
      • Origin:

        Spanish from Greek
      • Meaning:

        "violet flower"
    • Yuki
      • Origin:

        Japanese
      • Meaning:

        "snow; happiness"
    • Yuri
      • Origin:

        Russian variation of George
    • Yona
      • Origin:

        Cherokee or variation of Jonah, Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "bear; dove"
    • Yue
      • Yamileth
        • Origin:

          Spanish variation of Jamila, Arabic
        • Meaning:

          "beautiful"
      • Yanis
        • Origin:

          Greek, French, from Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "gift of God"
      • Yasmin
        • Origin:

          Persian
        • Meaning:

          "jasmine flower"

      The Nameberry App Is Live

      Nameberry app screenshot
      Find your perfect baby name together in our app, now available on the App Store and Google Play.
      • Swipe through thousands of names with your partner
      • Names you match on are saved to your shared list
      • Get personalized recommendations that learn based on your and your partner's preferences
      • Partner with friends and family to find names you all love
      • Backed by Nameberry's 20 years of data around name preferences.
      Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
      Nameberry app screenshot