Entry № 5202 · Japanese origin

Sayuri Sayuri — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ sah-YOO-ree /

Gender

Girl

Origin

Japanese

Meaning

"Small lily"

Syllables

Rank · US 2025

№ 0

First recorded

Modern (Japanese)

The meaning

A name that means "small lily".

Sayuri (小百合) combines the Japanese sa (small) and yuri (lily) — meaning "small lily."

Sayuri is the heroine of Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha (1997) and the Rob Marshall film adaptation. Sayuri Yoshinaga (born 1945) is the iconic Japanese actress.

Small lily. The Memoirs of a Geisha heroine.

In its original form

The name in its native script.

小百合

Transliteration: Sayuri
Pronunciation: / səˈjuː.ri /
Root: —
Grammatical form: —

Popularity

Where Sayuri stands.

Current rank · 2025

№ 0 in the U.S.

All-time peak

№ 0 in 0

Babies named Sayuri · last year

87 in the U.S.

First entered SSA top-1000

Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular

Namesakes

Sayuris before her.

Real people

Sayuri Yoshinaga

Japanese actress.

born 1945

In fiction

Sayuri

Heroine of Memoirs of a Geisha.

Arthur Golden, 1997

Names connected to Sayuri.

Numerology

The number behind Sayuri.

The Communicator

Sayuri reduces to three — the number of Japanese lily.

Parents on Sayuri

Why families chose this name.

"Small lily in Japanese. Six letters. Sayuri."

Yuko · Mother of one · Kyoto