Su: meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning & origin

Where it comes from

Su comes from Mandarin.

How it developed

In English usage, Su is a diminutive of Susan. In Portuguese usage, Su is a diminutive of Susana.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1935. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Su through the years

Babies since 1880: 733; 33 boys · 700 girls
Most popular year: 1957; 22 babies
2025: 9; #10,816 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20: −47%; Cooling

Boys Girls

Su in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1935–2025, per million births of each sex. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,816 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 22 in 1957. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,862 as a first name in 2020; 17,377 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.

Su’s family of names

In English usage, Su is a diminutive of Susan. Su has a related form in Sue. In English usage, Su has a related form in Sue.

Walk Su’s family in the name graph

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Su has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Chinese roots to each of them.

7 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 6

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Sispelling

Across languages 12

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

Show 4 moreShow fewer

People named Su

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Su, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Chinese

Sibling ideas

Names that share Su’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Su

A sister for Su

Your shortlist

Su