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

732 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.

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Baby Names A-Z

  1. 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"
  2. Yves
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "yew wood"
  3. Yara
    • Origin:

      Arabic, Persian, Brazilian, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "friend, helper; strength; water nymph; honeycomb"
  4. Yvaine
    • Origin:

      Female variation of Yvain or Scottish
    • Meaning:

      "evening star"
  5. Yuri
    • Origin:

      Russian variation of George
  6. Yvonne
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "yew wood"
  7. Yvette
    • Origin:

      French, feminine of Yves
    • Meaning:

      "yew tree"
  8. Yari
    • Origin:

      Spanish, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "gold"
  9. Yolanda
    • Origin:

      Spanish from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "violet flower"
  10. Yannick
    • Origin:

      Breton
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
  11. Yuli
    • Yasmin
      • Origin:

        Persian
      • Meaning:

        "jasmine flower"
    • Yana
      • Origin:

        Slavic variation of Jana, feminine variation of John
      • Meaning:

        "God is gracious"
    • Yuyu
      • Origin:

        Japanese
      • Meaning:

        "gentle friend; dream friend"
    • Ysella
      • Origin:

        Cornish
      • Meaning:

        "modest"
    • Yareli
      • Origin:

        Native American, Spanish variation of Yara, Arabic
      • Meaning:

        "water lady; small butterfly"
    • Yuki
      • Origin:

        Japanese
      • Meaning:

        "snow; happiness"
    • Yelitza
      • Origin:

        Spanish, South American
    • Yanis
      • Origin:

        Greek, French, from Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "gift of God"
    • Yuki
      • Origin:

        Japanese
      • Meaning:

        "snow; happiness"

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