Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2012

Ryu

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,352 Trend ↑ Rising 39%
Rank 2025
#2,352
among boys · ↓917 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
59
named Ryu · -54% vs 2024
How common
1 in 28,950
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2012
130 babies
All-time total
1,690
#3,671 all-time among boys
First recorded
1985
in Social Security records

Ryu popularity over time

1,690 babies have been named Ryu since 1985, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – 12 12 1 – #6,301
1990s – 77 77 8 +542% #3,811
2000s – 372 372 37 +383% #2,197
2010s – 741 741 74 +99% #1,320
2020s (to 2025) 5 483 488 81 +10% #1,435

Where Ryu is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 62 0.04 outside top 500
2027 64 0.04 outside top 500
2028 66 0.04 outside top 500
2029 68 0.04 outside top 500
2030 70 0.04 outside top 500

Where Ryu is most popular

Boys named Ryu per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.048 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, Minnesota, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ryu born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Hawaii 7 0.451 +847%
Minnesota 14 0.114 +140%
California 101 0.110 +132%
Texas 53 0.060 +26%
Arizona 8 0.049 ≈ national
Florida 20 0.042 -11%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -60%
New York 6 0.014 -71%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ryu

Ryu is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,352 in 2025 with 59 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1985, 1,690 American babies have been named Ryu. Its peak came in 2012, when 130 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ryu stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ryu?

The median living Ryu is about 11 years old; half are between 5 and 16. An estimated 1,700 people named Ryu are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ryu year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 59 #2,352
2024 – – 127 #1,435
2023 – – 75 #2,028
2022 5 #17,313 73 #2,077
2021 – – 77 #1,955
2020 – – 72 #1,992
2019 – – 68 #2,127
2018 – – 54 #2,439
2017 – – 76 #1,911
2016 – – 72 #2,005
2015 – – 56 #2,347
2014 – – 73 #1,975
2013 – – 76 #1,875
2012 – – 130 #1,320
2011 – – 73 #1,919
2010 – – 63 #2,139
2009 – – 61 #2,197
2008 – – 53 #2,427
2007 – – 53 #2,433
2006 – – 43 #2,729
2005 – – 32 #3,223
2004 – – 26 #3,617
2003 – – 27 #3,428
2002 – – 23 #3,758
2001 – – 19 #4,264
2000 – – 35 #2,667
1995 – – 9 #6,317
1990 – – – –
1985 – – 5 #7,383
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ryu

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ryu Jun-yeol Ryu Jun-yeol South Korean actor (born 1986) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ryu Hwa-young Ryu Hwa-young South Korean singer and actress (born 1993) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ryu Seung-min Ryu Seung-min South Korean table tennis player (born 1982) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ryu Seung-woo Ryu Seung-woo South Korean footballer b. 1993 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Ryu Gwansun Ryu Gwansun Korean independence activist (1902–1920) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ryu Takao Japanese footballer b. 1996 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Ryu Saito Japanese footballer b. 1979 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Ryu Kawakami Ryu Kawakami Japanese footballer b. 1994 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Ryu Okada Japanese footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  10. 10 Ryu Miyamoto Soccer player, Japan b. 1992 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ryu, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ryu?

The median living Ryu is about 11 years old. Half of all living Ryus are between 5 and 16 years old.

How many people named Ryu are alive today?

An estimated 1,700 people named Ryu are alive in the United States, based on 1,690 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Ryu in 2025?

Ryu ranked #2,352 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 59 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ryu?

1,690 babies have been named Ryu in the United States since 1985, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ryu most popular?

Ryu peaked in 2012, when 130 newborns received the name.

Is Ryu a boy or girl name?

Ryu is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ryu rising or falling?

Ryu is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ryu become more popular?

Ryu is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 70 boys named Ryu in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ryu?

Well-known people named Ryu include Ryu Jun-yeol (actor), Ryu Hwa-young (actor), Ryu Seung-min (table tennis player).

Names like Ryu

Names that sound and feel close to Ryu: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ryu with similar names → More names starting with R →