| Nami | Yumi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Wave | Beauty; archery bow |
| Origin | japanese | Japanese |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | NAH-mee | YOO-mee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1960 |
| Peak year | 2025 (156) | 2025 (55) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 55 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Nami | Yumi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 710 | 261 |
| 2010s | 296 | 273 |
| 2000s | 104 | 160 |
| 1990s | 42 | 112 |
| 1980s | 20 | 107 |
| 1970s | 0 | 53 |
| 1960s | 0 | 56 |
From the Japanese word nami (波) meaning 'wave'. Depending on the kanji used it can also carry other senses, but the 'wave' reading is standard.
Yumi is written variously as “reason + beauty” or with the kanji for an archery bow.
Yumi is more popular than Nami today: about 55 US babies were given the name Yumi in 2025, compared with 0 named Nami.
Nami means Wave (japanese origin), while Yumi means Beauty; archery bow (Japanese origin).
In US records, Nami first appears in 0 and Yumi in 1960, so Nami has the longer recorded history.