Umi
Of Japanese origin, meaning "ocean" or "sea".
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the first name Umi. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Umi today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Umi births was 2021 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Umi. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Umi with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
190
~ 1 in 1,803,970 Americans
Peak year
2021
33 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,887
Tracked since 2006
Census
Umi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 272 people with the first name Umi, which placed it at #31,478 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#31,478
National first-name rank
People counted
272
272 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
40.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Umi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Umi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 40.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.8%) and Two or More Races (16.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Umi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Umi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander40.1% · 109
- Black or African American29.8% · 81
- Two or more races16.5% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 23
- White4.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Umi
Umi leans heavily female at 88.5% of total registrations, but 22 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Umi as a male name
- Ranked #10,718 in 2023
- 7 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2021 (9 births)
Umi as a female name
- Ranked #8,887 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (24 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Umi on both sides of the split. Of the 277 people counted with this name, 60 were male (21.7%) and 217 were female (78.3%).
Popularity
Umi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Umi from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 105 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Umi 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 Umi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Umis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Umi
The name Umi has its origins in the Japanese language, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the word "umi," which means "ocean" or "sea" in Japanese. This connection to the vast waters suggests a deep and profound meaning, often associated with the boundless nature of the ocean and its profound depths.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Umi can be found in the Kojiki, an ancient chronicle of Japanese mythology and history, completed in 712 AD. In this text, Umi is mentioned as a character in Japanese folklore, further solidifying the name's long-standing presence in Japanese culture.
Throughout history, the name Umi has been borne by several notable individuals. One such person was Umi no Naishi, a celebrated Japanese poet who lived during the Heian period (794-1185 AD). Her poetic works, which often drew inspiration from the natural world, have been preserved and cherished for centuries.
Another prominent figure named Umi was Umi Yukaba, a renowned Japanese artist and calligrapher who flourished in the 16th century. His intricate brush strokes and mastery of the art form have left an indelible mark on the Japanese artistic tradition.
In the realm of Japanese literature, Umi Akiko stands out as a prominent writer and literary critic of the Meiji era (1868-1912). Her insightful analyses and literary contributions helped shape the cultural landscape of her time.
Moving forward in time, Umi Hirayama was a pioneering Japanese photographer who made significant contributions to the art form in the early 20th century. Her work, which captured the beauty and essence of Japanese landscapes and people, has been widely acclaimed and exhibited globally.
Lastly, Umi Matsuzaki, born in 1925, was a celebrated Japanese actress renowned for her versatility and captivating performances on stage and screen. Her remarkable talent and dedication to her craft left an indelible mark on the Japanese entertainment industry.
These historical figures, spanning various eras and disciplines, exemplify the rich tapestry of individuals who have borne the name Umi, each leaving an enduring legacy in their respective fields.
People
Umi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Umi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Umi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Umi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 190 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Umi 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 1,803,970 US residents.
Is Umi a common name?
We classify Umi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 191 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Umi most popular?
The single biggest year for Umi was 2021, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Umi is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Umi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 272 people with the name Umi, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,478 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Umi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Umi?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Umi on both sides of the split. Of the 277 people counted with this name, 60 were male (21.7%) and 217 were female (78.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Umi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Umi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 40.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.8%) and Two or More Races (16.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Umi most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Umi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.1% (109 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Umi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Umi a female name?
Yes, 88.5% of people registered as Umi 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.
Is Umi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Umi in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Umi can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many Americans are named Umi?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Umi at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.