Names Ending in U for Boys

Rhythmic, strong, and buoyant.

A sweet French pet name from the name of a popular cartoon character.

This charming Japanese name, with two meanings every little boy would love to have, was briefly in the Canadian Top 100 in the early 20th Century. There are many famous bearers of the name, such as architect Isamu Noguchi and physicist Isamu Akasaki.

This surname-name comes with some great connotations: Addie Ballou the American feminist, Kurt Ballou — guitarist with the band Converge, or Adin Ballou — abolitionist and pacifist. It has a trendy, whimsical sound that sets it apart from more traditional surnames like Cooper, Hunter, and Archer and puts it more in the camp of the softer international names like Aaru, Bayou, and Finlo.

Juneau could go either way as a name. The newfound fame of the movie heroine Juno knocks this unrelated though identical-sounding Alaskan name out of consideration for boys, for the moment. Though (male) writer Junot Diaz may put the sound-alike name back in the running for boys.

Wesley Snipes chose this distinctive East African name for his son.

Western African variation of Sa'id

A literary name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for a Lord of the Rings noblewoman of Rohan. It would make an interesting choice for literature lovers or fans of names like Elowen and Evelyn.

Villain name from Naruto, inspired by the bishop piece in shōgi, a chess-like game.

Sparkling unisex name that skews masculine in its native Japan.

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.

In its native Nigeria, Agu is a surname that signifies strength and being a force of nature. Agu as a first name has some pedigree, however: most notably via Agu Casmir, a famous Nigerian-Singaporean soccer player.

Evocative African choice.

A form of Ahmad popular in Western Africa. It ranked in the French Top 500 for much of the 1980s.

A slow and sultry southern choice that's definitely cool for babies of either gender.

Form of Umar popular in West Africa.

God of the sky, weather, thunder, and the harvest in Estonian mythology. His names in Finnish mythology include Ukko, Äijä, and Äijö.