Nora
Nora or Norah is a feminine given name. It mainly originates as a short form of Honora, a common Anglo-Norman name, ultimately derived from the Latin word Honor. In Hungary, the name Nóra originates as a short form of Eleonóra.
Meaning & Origin of Nora
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Nora or Norah is a feminine given name. It mainly originates as a short form of Honora, a common Anglo-Norman name, ultimately derived from the Latin word Honor. In Hungary, the name Nóra originates as a short form of Eleonóra.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Nora
Nora first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 471 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 6,276 Noras were born — ranking #27 that year. As of 2026, Nora ranks #23 for baby girls with 6,241 births, holding steady (+3%). In total, more than 199K Noras have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Nora
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Nora Abolins (born 1992), Canadian-born Latvian football player
- Nora Aceval (born 1953), Algerian writer
- Nora Achahbar (born 1982), Dutch politician and jurist
- Nora Adamian (1910–1992), Soviet-Armenian writer
- Nora Ahlberg (born 1952), Norwegian psychologist
- Norah Aiton , British architect
- Norah Al Faiz (born 1956), Saudi deputy education minister
- Nora Al Matrooshi (born 1993), Emirati astronaut
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Nora
Phonetically similar names — useful when Nora is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nora
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About the name Nora
Nora is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 199K births in the dataset. Nora's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #22. Use the chart and map above to compare Nora's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2021 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "N" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.