Suri

soo-ree
Yiddish, Hebrew, Persian, Sanskrit

Suri Origin and Meaning

The name Suri is a girl's name of Persian origin.

Suri, a once obscure name, hit the headlines when it was chosen by Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise for their daughter in 2006. A truly multi-cultural choice, Suri is a unique name with a variety of different origins.

As a Yiddish name, it is a variation of the Hebrew Sarah, while in Persian, it is a botanical and color name, used as both the adjective for red and as the name of a red rose. In Thai, it translates to "sun", while in Sanskrit, it could either be a contracted form of Sunrita, meaning "truthfulness", "joyfulness", or "friendly speech" – or from surya, also meaning "sun".

Beyond that, it is also the name of a breed of Alpaca, a mountain in Peru, a type of edible larvae, a title used for Jain monks, and a Japanese word for "pickpocket".

Short and stylish with that cool -i ending and with plenty of meaning behind it, Suri did see a tenfold increase in use after Holmes and Cruise announced her name. Peaking in 2012 when it was given to 246 girls, Suri has declined in popularity since then and is now steadily given to around 130 babies each year.

# 763 on Nameberry

Suri Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Suri Popularity

Famous People Named Suri

  • Suri Cruise
    daughter of American actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
  • Suri Krishnamma
    British film director