Yuka
An ornate Japanese feminine name meaning "superiority" or "excellence".
Name Census estimates that about 379 living Americans carry the first name Yuka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yuka today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yuka births was 1996 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yuka. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
379
~ 1 in 904,365 Americans
Peak year
1996
22 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2023 SSA rank
#17,522
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Yuka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yuka from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 153 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yuka by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Yuka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yukas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yuka
The name Yuka is a given name of Japanese origin. It is a feminine name that has been in use since ancient times in Japan. The name Yuka is derived from the Japanese words "yu" meaning "gentle" and "ka" meaning "fragrance" or "flower". Together, the name Yuka can be interpreted as "gentle fragrance" or "gentle flower".
In Japanese culture, the name Yuka is often associated with qualities of gentleness, grace, and beauty. It is a name that conveys a sense of delicacy and refinement. The name has been popular in Japan for centuries, and it has been borne by numerous notable individuals throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yuka can be found in the Kojiki, an ancient Japanese chronicle dating back to the 8th century CE. The text mentions a princess named Yuka who lived during the reign of Emperor Ojin in the 4th century CE.
Another notable historical figure with the name Yuka was Yuka Tominaga, a prominent calligrapher and painter who lived during the Edo period (1603-1868). She was known for her exceptional skill in the art of calligraphy and her beautiful depictions of nature.
In the realm of literature, the name Yuka has been immortalized through the works of renowned Japanese authors. One such example is Yuka, the protagonist in the novel "Snow Country" by Yasunari Kawabata, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968.
The name Yuka has also been borne by notable women in modern times. Yuka Murayama, born in 1977, is a former professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 9 in the world. Yuka Ogura, born in 1982, is a popular Japanese singer and actress known for her roles in various television dramas and films.
Another notable figure with the name Yuka is Yuka Saso, born in 1996, a professional golfer from Japan who has won several tournaments on the LPGA Tour, including the 2021 U.S. Women's Open.
Throughout its history, the name Yuka has maintained its association with gentleness, beauty, and grace in Japanese culture. It continues to be a popular choice for parents seeking a name that reflects these qualities for their daughters.
People
Yuka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yuka as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yuka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yuka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 379 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yuka going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 904,365 US residents.
Is Yuka a common name?
We classify Yuka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 391 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yuka most popular?
The single biggest year for Yuka was 1996, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yuka is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yuka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yuka in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.