ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 2003 Peak Year #431 Peak Rank 3K Total Count 147 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1953 First Year 2024 Last Year 1995 Peak Year #2500 Peak Rank 710 Total Count 58 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Nevada What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Nevada is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It is also sometimes placed in the Mountain West and Southwestern United States. It borders Idaho to the northeast, Oregon to the northwest, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive and the 31st-most populous U.S. state. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English 📜Etymology The name "Nevada" comes from the Spanish adjective nevada ( \[ neˈβaða \] ), meaning "snowy" or "snow-covered". The state takes its name from the Nevada Territory , which in turn may have been named either for the Sierra Nevada (Spain) mountain range, or for the Sierra Nevada mountain range lying mostly in neighboring California, or just as a descriptive name for a range of snowy mountains. A number of other mountain ranges in Spanish-speaking countries are also named "Sierra Nevada" . 🏛️Origin & history Main article: History of Nevada Further information: History of Las Vegas [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Nevada](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Flag_of_Nevada.svg/330px-Flag_of_Nevada.svg.png?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=thumbnail)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada) 📖 ## The Story of Nevada ### As a girl name The earliest SSA record of Nevada as a girl name dates back to 1880, when 12 babies received it. 2003 was its biggest year on record, with 60 newborns named Nevada — #2,638 in the national rankings. As of 2026, Nevada ranks #3,469 for girls with 45 births, rising sharply (+55% over the past five years). All told, over 3K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ### As a boy name The earliest SSA record of Nevada as a boy name dates back to 1953, when 5 babies received it. 1995 was its biggest year on record, with 30 newborns named Nevada — #2,500 in the national rankings. About 28% of every Nevada on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Nevada last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 11 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 710 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Nevada Phonetically similar names — useful when Nevada is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Nevadan * Movida * [Novia](/novia) * Neruda * [Naveed](/naveed) * [Navid](/navid) * Novato * Novoa * [Nekoda](/nekoda) * Novate * Nevadans * Nunda Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Nevada What does the name Nevada mean? Nevada is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It is also sometimes placed in the Mountain West and Southwestern United States. It borders Idaho to the northeast, Oregon to the northwest, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive and the 31st-most populous U.S. state. What is the origin of the name Nevada? Nevada has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. How popular is Nevada in 2026? In 2026, Nevada ranks #3,469 among girls' names in the U.S., with 45 babies given the name that year. When was Nevada most popular? Nevada reached its peak popularity in 2003, ranking #431 that year with 60 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Nevada most popular? Nevada has historically been most popular in Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Nevada. Is Nevada a unisex name? Yes — Nevada is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 82% of Nevadas assigned female and 18% assigned male historically. What names go well with Nevada? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Nevada include Rubi, Magdalene, Kitty. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧RubiPeak #431](/rubi)[👧MagdalenePeak #430](/magdalene)[👧KittyPeak #430](/kitty)[👧MaryellenPeak #432](/maryellen) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦ZelmaPeak #2502](/zelma)[👦VermonPeak #2502](/vermon)[👦NewelPeak #2502](/newel)[👦KennaPeak #2498](/kenna) ## About the name Nevada Nevada is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Nevada's peak popularity came in 2003 when it ranked #431\. Use the chart and map above to compare Nevada's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2003 → ](/year/2003) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "N" → ](/letter/n) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.