# Yūko

Yūko or Yuko (ゆうこ, ユウコ) or Yuuko is a common feminine Japanese given name.

## Written forms

Yūko can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
* 優子, "gentle, child"
* 裕子, "abundance, child"
* 祐子, "helpful, child"
* 夕子, "evening, child"
* 有子, "qualified, child"
* 悠子, "permanence, child"
* 侑子, "leading, child"
* 結子, "bind, child"
* 由子, "reason, child"
* 勇子, "courage, child"
* 友子, "friend, child"
* 木綿子, "cotton, child"
The given name can also be written in hiragana or katakana.

## People

* Yūko Andō (news anchor) (優子), Japanese TV presenter and news anchor
* Yūko Andō (singer) (裕子, born 1977), Japanese singer-songwriter
* Yuko Aoki (裕子, born 1977), Japanese bikini model
* Yuko Arimori (裕子, born 1966), Japanese marathon runner
* Yūko Asano (ゆう子, born 1960), Japanese singer and actress
* Yuko Fueki (優子, born 1979), Japanese actress who is most popular in South Korea, known as Yoo Min
* Yuko Goto (裕子), (born 1975) Japanese voice actress
* Yuko Hara (由子, born 1956), plays the keyboards for Southern All Stars
* Yūko Hara (voice actress) (優子, born 1992), Japanese voice actress
* Yuko Inoue (井上 祐子), Japanese classical violinist
* Yuko Ito (裕子, born 1974), Japanese fashion model and actress
* Yuko Kawaguchi (悠子, born 1981), Japanese pair skater
* Yuko Kobayashi (小林 優子, born 1961), Japanese voice actress
* Yuko Maruyama (裕子, born 1989), Japanese volleyball player
* Yūko Minaguchi (裕子, born 1966), Japanese voice actress
* Yūko Miyamura (優子, born 1972), Japanese voice actress, actress, J-pop singer and sound director
* Yuko Mizuno (水野 裕子, born 1982), Japanese television personality and actress
* Yūko Mizutani (優子, 1964–2016), Japanese voice actress
* Yūko Mochizuki (優子, 1917–1977), Japanese actress
* Yuko Moriguchi (森口 祐子, born 1955), Japanese golfer
* Yūko Nakagawa (郁子, born 1958), Japanese politician
* Yūko Nakamura (優子, born 1975), Japanese actress
* Yuko Nakanishi (悠子, born 1981), Japanese butterfly swimmer
* Yuko Nakazawa (裕子), J-pop singer and actress
* Yuko Ogura (優子, born 1983), Japanese idol and model
* Yuko Oshima (大島 優子, born 1988), AKB48 member
* Yuko Sano (優子, born 1979), Japanese volleyball player
* Yūko Sasaki (佐々木 優子, born 1982), Japanese cricketer
* Yuko Sato (athlete) (佐藤 優子, born 1968), Japanese racewalker
* Yuko Sato (politician) (佐藤 夕子, born 1963), Japanese politician
* Yūko Satō (voice actress) (佐藤 ゆうこ), Japanese voice actress
* Yūko Sanpei (三瓶 由布子, born 1986) a Japanese voice actress
* Yuko Shimizu (侑子, born 1946), Japanese designer, creator of Hello Kitty
* Yuko Shimizu (actress) (清水 ゆう子, born 1988), Japanese actress and gravure idol
* Yuko Shimizu (illustrator) (清水 裕子), Japanese illustrator
* Yuko Suzuki (裕子, born 1989), Japanese volleyball player
* Yuko Takahashi (高橋 侑子, born 1991), Japanese triathlete
* Yuko Takayama (侑子, born 1992), Japanese actress
* Yuko Takeuchi (結子, 1980–2020), Japanese actress
* Yuko Tojo (由布子, 1939–2013), Granddaughter of General Hideki Tōjō
* Yūko Tsuno (裕子, born 1966), Japanese manga artist and doujin writer
* Yuko Yamaguchi (裕子, born 1955), Japanese character designer and illustrator
* Yuko Yamashita (裕子), Japanese straight hair specialist

## Fictional characters

* Yuko, a female elf from Mia and Me, a children's TV series
* Yuko, an antagonist character in Sexy Parodius
* Yuko, a female character from Sword Art Online
* Yūko, a female character and the yūrei in The Terror: Infamy
* Yuuko Aioi, a main character from the anime and manga series Nichijou
* Yuko Amamiya, the heroine of game Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two
* Yuko Amasawa, one of the main characters in the series Dennō Coil
* Yuko Asou, the main character in the Valis series
* Yuko Ichihara - Witch of dimensions, a character from the manga and anime xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle by CLAMP
* Yūko Kanoe, a character from the manga and anime Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
* Yuko Minami, Ultraman Ace's alter ego alongside Seiji Hokuto in the 1972 namesake tokusatsu film
* Yuko Ogawa, a character from the manga and anime Kocchi Muite! Miiko
* Yuko Okonogi, one of the main characters in the series Dennō Coil
* Yuko Omori, a character from the anime HappinessCharge PreCure!
* Yuko Sakaki, a character in the novel Battle Royale, and the film and manga of the same name
* Yuuko Shirakawa, a librarian from the visual novel Katawa Shoujo
* Yuko Takao, a character in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
* Yuuko Yoshikawa, a character from the novel and anime Hibike! Euphonium
* Yuuko Nishi a character from the manga and anime A Channel (manga)