Umu

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 2 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Umu is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name2.0K records spelled Umu12 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Germany, Nigeria, Australia

  Languages: English, German, Western Frisian

  Also written Ümü, Ümu, Ümù, Uemu, Uemue

• Hindi given name1.1K records spelled Umu4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands

  Languages: Hindi, Urdu

  Also written Ümü

• Turkish given name465 records spelled Umu5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Netherlands, India

  Languages: Turkish, Azerbaijani

  Also written Ümü, Ümu, Ûmü

• Spanish given name327 records spelled Umu5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Brazil, United Kingdom, Netherlands

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

  Also written Űmů, Ůmų, Ümü

• French given name223 records spelled Umu3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States

  Also written Ümü, Umú

• Amharic given name96 records spelled Umu2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Ethiopia, United States, United Kingdom, India

  Also written ኡሙ

37 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Umu is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In Māori, oven

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Samoan, stone oven, consisting of a shallow cavity lined with stones on which a fire is lit and cleared away before the food is laid on the hot stones

  as a word·Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (ACD), CLDF v2.0

• In kwd, stone, oven stones; altar stones on which sacrificial pigs are cooked (not commonly used for secular oven due to sacred connotations)

  as a word·Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (ACD), CLDF v2.0

• In Hawaiian, oven, furnace; a heap of rocks placed in the sea for small fish such as the _manini_ to hide in

  as a word·Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (ACD), CLDF v2.0

• In apb, cooking oven in house, used only on great occasions; a large ring with upright stones

  as a word·Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (ACD), CLDF v2.0

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 48 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Umu?

We estimate roughly 237 people bear Umu (counting its spellings and scripts) across 5 countries in our records.

In which country does Umu have the most bearers?

Umu is most frequently recorded in Indonesia, where it is most often spelled umu.

Is Umu a male or female name?

Umu is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Umu mean?

Recorded meaning: An earth oven used in New Zealand, Samoa, and other Pacific islands, consisting of a hole dug in the ground and lined with heated stones.