The name Nori is a boy's name of Japanese origin meaning "doctrine or seaweed; north or small person".

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Attractive, simple Japanese choice that, while not strictly unisex, could work even better for a girl, especially now that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West use it as the nickname for their daughter North. Nori is also the name of an edible seaweed used in wrapping sushi.
 
Nori also has roots as an Old Norse name, either a derivative of Nórr, meaning "north," or the word nori, referring to a small person.

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Nori

Japanese

Nameberry

The name Nori peaked for boys at #3625 in 2020. The name is most popular in NORI, NORI, and NORI. Nori is occasionally used for girls in 2025.

The name Nori is a girl's name of Japanese origin meaning "ceremonial rites, doctrine, seaweed; unknown, honor, north; my light".

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Names that Peaked in 2022

Names that Peaked in 2023

Nori is one of those names with several origins that would have no trouble assimilating into a variety of cultures. It might also be associated with the dried seaweed used to wrap sushi or with the nickname Kim Kardashian and Kanye West use for their daughter North.
 
As a Japanese name, it means "ceremonial rites", "doctrine", or "seaweed". depending on which kanji elements are used. As a name of Arabic origin, it could be a variation or nickname of Nor, Noor, or Nuri, meaning "light". As an English name, it likely emerged as a nickname, from Eleanor, Honora, or similar. 
 
Nori entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022, following the trend of "traveling lite" names, or simple, 2-syllable names ending in i such as Zuri, Ezri, and Leni that are quickly gaining popularity.

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The name Nori is currently ranked #900 in U.S. births. and peaked for girls at #903 in 2023. It is currently rising in popularity. The name is most popular in NORI, NORI, and NORI. Nori is occasionally used for boys in 2025.

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	#3,625	30	17.4
2021	#4,455	23	13.1
2022	#4,396	24	13.7
2023	#4,426	24	14
2024	#4,817	21	12.2
2025	#3,632	31	18.1

Nori

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