At a glance
- U.S. rank 2025
- #10,107 of girl names (outside the top 1,000)
- Babies in 2025
- 9 (<0.01% of girls)
- Trend
- Rising #15,088 in 2020 to #10,107 in 2025
- Peak
- #2,416 in 1957
- First recorded
- 1935
Meaning of Su
In Mandarin Chinese, Su (pronounced /su/) most commonly corresponds to the characters 苏 (sū), meaning “to revive,” or 素 (sù), signifying “plain” or “unadorned.” Primarily given to girls, Su conveys concise elegance and cross-cultural resonance, appealing to parents who favor minimalism in both form and substance. In the United States, the name has remained rare but steady: first recorded with six births in 1935 (ranked 575th), it has since hovered between five and fifteen annual occurrences and was ranked 953rd in 2023. This understated presence underscores its appeal to families seeking a name that is both succinct and culturally rooted. And, with little room for diminutives, some parents appreciate Su’s brevity as a feature rather than a bug.
How to pronounce Su
Chinese Mandarin
- Pronounced soo /su/
Popularity of Su in the U.S.
Su was the #10,107 girl name in the U.S. in 2025, with 9 babies. It peaked at #2,416 in 1957. It first appears in the records in 1935.
- Rank among U.S. girl names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1935–2025 77 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | 10,107 | back (not recorded in 2024) |
| 2023 | 5 | 15,194 | ▼ 2,951 |
| 2022 | 7 | 12,243 | back (not recorded in 2021) |
| 2020 | 5 | 15,088 | ▼ 2,640 |
| 2019 | 7 | 12,448 | back (not recorded in 2018) |
| 2017 | 11 | 9,341 | ▲ 772 |
| 2016 | 10 | 10,113 | ▼ 2,500 |
| 2015 | 15 | 7,613 | ▲ 5,456 |
| 2014 | 7 | 13,069 | ▼ 2,834 |
| 2013 | 10 | 10,235 | back (not recorded in 2012) |
| 2011 | 11 | 9,723 | ▲ 1,523 |
| 2010 | 9 | 11,246 | ▲ 2,458 |
| 2009 | 7 | 13,704 | back (not recorded in 2008) |
| 2007 | 6 | 15,491 | ▼ 339 |
| 2006 | 6 | 15,152 | ▼ 2,142 |
| 2005 | 7 | 13,010 | ▲ 1,169 |
| 2004 | 6 | 14,179 | ▼ 1,771 |
| 2003 | 7 | 12,408 | ▼ 2,162 |
| 2002 | 9 | 10,246 | ▲ 3,275 |
| 2001 | 6 | 13,521 | ▼ 1,720 |
| 2000 | 7 | 11,801 | back (not recorded in 1999) |
| 1998 | 6 | 12,426 | back (not recorded in 1997) |
| 1996 | 7 | 10,567 | ▼ 2,488 |
| 1995 | 10 | 8,079 | ▲ 1,507 |
| 1994 | 8 | 9,586 | ▲ 2,194 |
| 1993 | 6 | 11,780 | ▼ 1,301 |
| 1992 | 7 | 10,479 | ▼ 1,143 |
| 1991 | 8 | 9,336 | ▼ 1,456 |
| 1990 | 10 | 7,880 | ▲ 4,482 |
| 1989 | 5 | 12,362 | ▼ 1,976 |
| 1988 | 6 | 10,386 | ▼ 3,033 |
| 1987 | 9 | 7,353 | ▲ 3,559 |
| 1986 | 5 | 10,912 | ▼ 3,957 |
| 1985 | 9 | 6,955 | ▲ 443 |
| 1984 | 8 | 7,398 | back (not recorded in 1983) |
| 1982 | 6 | 9,237 | ▼ 2,914 |
| 1981 | 10 | 6,323 | ▲ 1,095 |
| 1980 | 8 | 7,418 | ▼ 1,667 |
| 1979 | 11 | 5,751 | back (not recorded in 1978) |
| 1977 | 7 | 7,567 | ▼ 1,519 |
| 1976 | 9 | 6,048 | ▼ 532 |
| 1975 | 10 | 5,516 | ▲ 3,259 |
| 1974 | 5 | 8,775 | ▼ 1,340 |
| 1973 | 6 | 7,435 | ▲ 857 |
| 1972 | 5 | 8,292 | ▼ 1,673 |
| 1971 | 7 | 6,619 | ▼ 1,206 |
| 1970 | 9 | 5,413 | ▼ 995 |
| 1969 | 11 | 4,418 | back (not recorded in 1968) |
| 1967 | 14 | 3,484 | ▲ 3,080 |
| 1966 | 5 | 6,564 | ▼ 25 |
| 1965 | 5 | 6,539 | ▼ 1,903 |
| 1964 | 9 | 4,636 | ▼ 1,178 |
| 1963 | 14 | 3,458 | ▲ 553 |
| 1962 | 11 | 4,011 | ▼ 2 |
| 1961 | 11 | 4,009 | ▼ 89 |
| 1960 | 11 | 3,920 | ▼ 93 |
| 1959 | 11 | 3,827 | ▼ 1,321 |
| 1958 | 21 | 2,506 | ▼ 90 |
| 1957 | 22 | 2,416 | ▲ 309 |
| 1956 | 18 | 2,725 | – |
| 1955 | 17 | 2,725 | ▲ 432 |
| 1954 | 13 | 3,157 | ▲ 1,883 |
| 1953 | 6 | 5,040 | ▼ 557 |
| 1952 | 7 | 4,483 | ▼ 1,199 |
| 1951 | 11 | 3,284 | ▼ 632 |
| 1950 | 15 | 2,652 | ▲ 347 |
| 1949 | 12 | 2,999 | ▲ 351 |
| 1948 | 10 | 3,350 | ▼ 581 |
| 1947 | 14 | 2,769 | ▲ 448 |
| 1946 | 10 | 3,217 | ▼ 475 |
| 1945 | 11 | 2,742 | ▼ 117 |
| 1944 | 12 | 2,625 | ▲ 1,571 |
| 1943 | 6 | 4,196 | ▼ 1,002 |
| 1942 | 9 | 3,194 | ▲ 365 |
| 1941 | 7 | 3,559 | back (not recorded in 1940) |
| 1939 | 7 | 3,429 | back (not recorded in 1936–1938) |
| 1935 | 6 | 3,742 | new |
Notable people named Su
- Vannarah Riggs is an American professional wrestler known as Su Yung and a two-time Impact Knockouts Champion.
- Su Bingtian is a former Chinese sprinter who holds the Asian 100 meter record and was the first Asian-born athlete to break the 10 second barrier.
- Su Tseng-chang is a Taiwanese politician who served twice as premier and led the Democratic Progressive Party.
- Su Shulin is a Chinese oil executive and former Fujian governor who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for bribery and abuse of power.
- Su Maozhen is a Chinese football coach and former player who represented China internationally.