Names Ending in U for Boys

Famously the name of Izuku Midoriya, the protagonist of the popular anime series My Hero Academia. It is not a common name among Japanese boys.

Nikau is among the most popular Maori names for boys in New Zealand. It sounds like a cousin to Nicholas, but Nikau is actually the name of a palm tree native to the islands.

Rarely used in the last two centuries, but might be worth dusting off and holding up to the light.

With its gentle sound but edgy vibe, Tru ticks the boxes for several modern trends: one syllable boy names (see Brooks), alternatively spelled word names (see Chozen), word names with spiritual undertones (see Shepherd), and nickname style choices (see Bo). Currently in the Top 1000 for girls and boys, it is joined in the rankings by Truett and True

Masculine name with a gem meaning.

Name of one of the three main Hindu gods.

Yu the Great founded China's first dynasty, but in this country "Hey, you!" would make this name utterly confusing, in an Abbott and Costello way.

Many Hawaiian names reference nature, especially the ocean -- not surprising for a state that's made up of islands. Kainalu's meaning is one of the loveliest.

Kamau is from the Kikuyu language native to Kenya. It is recognizable as the middle name of comedian W. Kamau Bell.

A rare Old Testament name that, although short, is resoundingly biblical. It belonged to name the tenth king of Israel, who seized power violently and reigned from about 841 to 814 BCE.

An appealing Hindi name borne by Mindy Kahling's architect father Avu Chokalingam. She bestowed it on her son Spencer as a middle name in 2020.

Why settle for Brooklyn or Boston when you can name your child for someplace so much more interesting.

Danish actor Pilou Asbaek, of Borgen and Game of Thrones, got his unusual first name from his French mother; it's apparently an abbreviation of "Petit Philip." The fact that both its two syllables have restroom-adjacent connotations will make it hard to pull off in English-speaking countries.

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday).

As well as meaning victory, the name Katsu is strongly associated with heroism and masculinity.

A multicultural nickname for Samuel. The Spanish and Finnish variation is pronounced SAH-moo, while the Hungarian version is SHAW-moo.

Notably used for characters in Spirited Away and Naruto.

A very common name in Catalonia, in the northeast of Spain, in no small part because it translates as "peace" in the Catalan tongue. Alec and HIlaria Baldwin used it as one of the middle names for their son Eduardo.