Given name & surname
Ami
“one who is industrious and hardworking”
In German use, Ami is a short form of Amalia. One German interpretation is “one who is industrious and hardworking.”
Original Hebrewאמי
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Ami is a short form of Amalia. One German interpretation is “one who is industrious and hardworking.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In German use, Ami is a short form of Amalia. An origin associated with Amalia is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German usage, Ami is a short form of Amalia.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1947. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Ami appears in Ezra 2:57, Nehemiah 7:59.
- Ezra 2:57
- Nehemiah 7:59
From biblical name research
Ami through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,100
- 422 boys · 7,678 girls
- Most popular year
- 1975
- 334 babies
- 2025
- 42
- #4,668 for girls · #6,468 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +20%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 23% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 29 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,668 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 27.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 334 in 1975. It also appeared in 13 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,067 as a first name in 2020; 238 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ami’s family of names
In German usage, Ami is a short form of Amalia. In German usage, Ami has a conventional equivalent in the Hebrew form אָמִי. In Japanese usage, Ami is a Roman-alphabet rendering of 亜実.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ami has relatives in 3 languages.
7 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 5
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ami
- Ami OtakiJapanese association football playerborn 1989
- Ami SugitaJapanese association football playerborn 1992
- Ami BouéAustrian geologist, physician and botanist (1794-1881)
- Ami KoshimizuJapanese voice actressborn 1986
- Ami NakaiJapanese figure skater (born 2008)
- Ami ArgandGenevan chemist (1750-1803)
- Ami AyalonIsraeli politicianborn 1945
- Ami YuasaJapanese breakdancerborn 1998
- Ami KondoJapanese judokaborn 1995
Characters named Ami: Sailor Mercury (Sailor Moon).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Ami, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Amie
“beloved” · “dearly loved”
>99% girls
Kami
“a loving man”
5% boys · 95% girls
Amity
“a dear friendship”
>99% girls
Aja
1% boys · 99% girls
Tommi
Tommi is a masculine given name from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Finnish.
2% boys · 98% girls
Cami
“crooked nose”
>99% girls
Kari
“of the wind” · “one with curly hair”
20% boys · 80% girls
Cari
“from the river” · “from the fort on the hill”
18% boys · 82% girls