By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 14 pages
of 14
Latin
"stern"
The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories. Nero was born Lucius Domitius…
Variation of Nathaniel, Hebrew
"gift of God"
Arabic or Hebrew
"light or my fire"
A name used in the Middle East but that could easily work in the US. As a girls' name, Nuri can also be a short form of Nuria. It was chosen by Christy Lefteri for the protagonist of her novel, The…
Hebrew
"light, or furrow, plowed field"
Symbolic name given to girls born on TuB'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees.
Scandinavian variation of Nicholas
"people of victory"
Like Lars, Sven, Niels, and Nels, an unjustly neglected straightforward Scandinavian name. Surname Nilsson or the anglicized Nelson derives from Nils.
Nani is a multicultural feminine name with origins spanning several traditions. In Hawaiian, it means 'beautiful' or 'glory,' while it can also be a shortened form of names like Danielle or Natalie…
Ancient Egyptian
"beautiful companion"
Nefertari Meritmut was the first and favorite wife of pharoah Ramesses II "the Great". She was highly educated and undertook important diplomatic work on behalf of her husband, corresponding with…
Spanish
"of Nazareth"
Occasionally heard Spanish name referring to Christ's native village.
German
"water nymph"
If you love Dixie, Trixie and Pixie, this name of a mermaid-like sprite in German folklore may be for you. It might also make an update for Nicki.
English, diminutive of names ending in -ette or -etta, or variation of Neta, Hebrew
"plant"
You may never have known a Nettie personally, but there well might be one hidden in your family history, considering that she was a Top 100 name until 1901 and stayed on the Social Security list…
French from Latin
"Nazareth"
Saint-Nazaire is a harbor town in France; the name relates to Nazareth, where Jesus lived as a child. Two possible variations: Nazarius, an Italian martyr, and Nazario.
Arabic
"light"
Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan, Arabic
"place between the valleys; light"
Deriving from the Catalan title for the Virgin Mary, Nostra Senyora de Núria , meaning "Our Lady of Nuria", this distinctive name is a popular choice in Spain and Portugal. Nuria is a Spanish…
English
"new town"
Named after Isaac. Or Wayne.
French
"northerner"
Somehow more modern and likable than Morris or Doris.
Finnish variation of Nicholas; diminutive of Nikolaos, Greek
"victory of the people"
Niko was used for 17 baby girls in the US last year, and twin sister Nico for another 35 -- though that's still far fewer than the 2700 baby boys who were given either of those two names. There were…
Greek
"goal"
A fairly common Greek name that would fit in well here.
English word name
"natural, physical world"
An all-encompassing nature name, Nature has seen surprising take up for girls in recent years, with more than 270 given the name in the first half of the 2020s. For boys, it has remained rare, given…
Spanish place-name
"covered in snow"
Western place-name that feels equally appropriate for both genders. Note: Natives say rhyme that second syllable with had, so it's not nehv-AH-da.
More often used in Britain than here, where most names ending in ville fall into the unthinkable class, this might make an exception via fans of the musical Neville Brothers. Charles Dickens used the…
