NameRealm
Ryu

Ryu: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“dragon”
Origin
Japanese
Say it
RYOO · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys

From Japanese Ryū, usually written with a character meaning 'dragon'. It can also occur in Korean contexts as a surname romanized Ryu, but as a given name this spelling is especially Japanese.

Japanese namesNames meaning animalNames meaning strengthShort namesInternational names

How popular is Ryu?

202438.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Ryu in 2024125

2024 rank#1,451 boys

Peak year2024

Total US babies since 18801,629

Ryu has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Ryu

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Kobegod's door · Japanese
  • Raidenthunder and lightning · Japanese
  • Kodauncertain · Japanese
  • Roninmasterless samurai · Japanese
  • Kaizenimprovement; change for better · Japanese
  • Kenzohealthy and three · Japanese
  • Kenjihealthy second son · Japanese
  • Zenmeditation · Japanese

Ryu questions

What does the name Ryu mean?

Ryu means "dragon". It comes from Japanese. From Japanese Ryū, usually written with a character meaning 'dragon'. It can also occur in Korean contexts as a surname romanized Ryu, but as a given name this spelling is especially Japanese.

Is Ryu a boy or girl name?

Ryu is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ryu?

125 US babies were named Ryu in 2024. Its peak year was 2024.

How do you pronounce Ryu?

Ryu is usually pronounced RYOO.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.