The name Noa is a girl's name of Hebrew, Japanese origin meaning "motion; my love, affection".

Hebrew Names

Hebrew Names for Girls

3 Letter Girl Names

Names Ending in A for Girls

Names That Mean Motion

One Syllable Names for Girls

Names that Peaked in 2019

Names that Peaked in 2021

Girl Dog Names That Start With N

Dog Names That Start With N

Names that Peaked in 2022

Names ending in a

Names that Peaked in 2023

Hebrew Names that Start With N

Modern Jewish Baby Names Pay Homage to Heritage

Sister Names Share Style

Top Baby Names 2023: The Playground Analysis

Top Baby Names 2022: The Playground Analysis

Hawaiian Names: The Ultimate Guide

200 Best Twin Girl Names 2025

100+ Best Girl Names Ending in a Vowel

Middle Name Trends 2025

This Old Testament name has been one of the most popular girls names in Israel over the last decade and is also a favorite in Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. First appearing in the US charts back in the 2010s, it now sits in the Top 300, and while it may feel like an attempt to make Noah unisex, it is in fact a separate, feminine name.
 Borne by a female figure in the Old Testament named Noa (or Noah), this form of the name derives from the Hebrew No'ah, meaning "motion". The popular Biblical male name Noah is derived from a different Hebrew origin: Noach, meaning "rest, repose".
 Noa is the established, modern Hebrew spelling of the female name, but it may also be found as a variant spelling of the male name Noah – popular in countries including France, Wales, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. As such, Noa is still a unisex choice. 
 
Additionally, Noa also has roots in Japanese, in which it means "my love, my affection", adding to the versatility of this short moniker. In this case, it would be pronounced NO-A, with emphasis on both syllables.

Sisters for Fern Annika "Frankie" and Story Evelyn "Stevie"

Cool Baby Names for Girls and Boys

Names Girls Love Having

Baby Names Everyone Thinks Are Cool

New Names of the 2010s

Jewish Names

Pisces Baby Names

 Biblical Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Girl Names Like Ava

Names That Feel Exotic Yet Simple

Cool Cat Names

Telegraph Baby Names 

Japanese Dog Names

Trending Girl Names

Cool Biblical Baby Names

Fastest-Rising Names on Nameberry

New Baby Girl Names

Dog Names

Cool Dog Names

Traveling Lite Baby Names

Doberman Names

Cool Girl Names

Best Two Syllable Girl Names

Cool Middle Names

Boho Baby Names 

Jewish Girl Names

Boho Girl Names

Short Baby Names

Biblical Girl Names

Gender Neutral Cat Names 

European Names for Girls and Boys

Gender Neutral Middle Names

Unisex Names for Girls

Fastest-Rising Girl Names 2024

Names With Lots of Spellings

European Girl Names

Hebrew

Japanese

Nameberry

Unisex

Canada

Future

England

scotland

Netherlands

Spain

Portugal

switzerland

Israel

The name Noa is a boy's name meaning "rest, repose; motion".

4 Letter Boy Names

One Syllable Names for Boys

3 Letter Boy Names

Names Ending in A for Boys

Okay, this might be a little confusing...

 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, and is very popular for girls in Israel, as well as in several European countries, including Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. But Noa is also a popular spelling of the male name Noah in countries including France, Wales, Hawaii, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina — and as of 2024, the US, where it was one of the fastest rising names of the year and entered the Top 1000. 
 

Just to throw another meaning into the mix, noa can also mean "free" or "freedom" in Hawaii, and appears as an element in names such as Kainoa and Kanoa. It might also be found in the Hawaiian name Nāinoa, however here it comes from inoa meaning "namesake". 

 So is a boy named Noa named after a female Biblical figure (whose name means "motion") or a male one (meaning "rest")? That's up to you! The ideal of gender neutrality means nothing belongs exclusively to one sex or the other, and that includes the spellings of Noa/Noah.

Noa

Noa Rank in US Top 1000

Noa Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Noa

20 Names Similar to Noa

Famous People Named Noa

The name Noa in Pop Culture

The name Noa in Nameberry Blog Posts

The name Noa in Nameberry Forums

More Lists containing Noa

Advanced Search

Find your type.