 Sulu and Uhura didnt have first names in this series. Sulu did get  a first name (Hikaru) but not until  _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)_ (qv). In Season 2  DVD Special Features, Nichelle Nichols (qv) reveals that she and  Gene Roddenberry (qv) accepted the first name "Niota" for her  character, which is a Swahili word meaning "Star". Uhura is a  variant of "Uhuru", Swahili for "freedom".