Baby Names Starting With Y, Girls and Boys
Y is a lower-volume starting letter than most, so this page covers both girls and boys together rather than splitting into two thinner pages.
Y names for girls
- Yara (with two distinct real origins: an Arabic name commonly read as meaning “small butterfly,” and separately a Tupi-Guarani word from Brazilian indigenous languages linked to water spirits)
- Yolanda (Greek in origin, commonly read as meaning “violet flower”)
- Yvette (French, the feminine form of Yves, Germanic in origin, linked to the word for “yew”)
- Yasmin (Persian, meaning “jasmine flower”)
Y names for boys
- Yusuf (Arabic form of Joseph, Hebrew in origin, meaning “he will add”)
- Yosef (Hebrew, the direct root form of Joseph, meaning “he will add”)
- Yale (English, originally a Welsh-linked surname and place name, also the name of the US university)
- York (English, originally a place name and surname referring to the city of York)
Quick facts
| Common origins | Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Persian |
| Common meaning themes | nature, addition/increase, place names |
| Note | Yara has two genuinely separate origins, Arabic and Brazilian indigenous, rather than one shared root |
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular baby name starting with Y?
Yara has become one of the more widely used Y names for girls in recent years, while Yusuf remains a consistently used Y name for boys, particularly in Muslim families.
Are Yusuf and Joseph the same name?
Yes. Yusuf is the Arabic form of the Hebrew name Joseph, both meaning “he will add,” and both trace back to the same biblical figure.