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Noa

Hebrew
"motion"
Sophie Kihm
By Sophie Kihm
Updated Mon Sep 02 2024

Noa Origin and Meaning

The name Noa is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "motion".

This Old Testament female name has been one of the most popular girls’ names in Israel over the last decade. Also highly popular in Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, and a new entrant to the US Top 1000, it may be misunderstood here as an attempt to streamline and feminize the more familiar Noah – although it's a separate name with a separate derivation.

Now for the confusing bit...

There is a female figure in the Old Testament named Noa or Noah, whose name derives from the Hebrew No'ah, meaning "motion". The popular Biblical male name Noah (sometimes spelled as the streamlined Noa) is derived from a different Hebrew name: Noach "rest, repose" – although confusingly they are often written the same in English.

Noa is the modern Hebrew spelling of the female name, but it is also found as a variant spelling of the male name Noah – popular in countries including France, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Complex backstory notwithstanding, Noa's rise to the charts indicates increased interest in this sleek moniker.

# 298 in the US

Noa Rank in US Top 1000

# 154 on Nameberry

Noa Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Noa Popularity

Famous People Named Noa

  • NoaBiblical daughter of Zelophehad who fought for the right to inherit her father's land
  • Noa Tohar TishbyIsraeli actress/model/singer
  • Achinoam "Noa" NiniIsraeli singer
  • Noa Netanyahudaughter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
  • Noa Igartiburudaughter of actress Anne Igartiburu
  • Noa Goossens (b. 2013)daughter of gymnast Aagje Vanwalleghem and pole vaulter Denis Goossens

Noa in Pop Culture

  • Dr. Noa Keancharacter on TV's "Code Black"
  • Noa Takigawacharacter in manga "Yamada,kun and the Seven Witches"
  • Noa Izumicharacter manga/anime "Patlabor"

Noa in Nameberry Blog Posts