N Girls

Nora

Diminutive of Honora or Eleonora, Latin

"honor or meaning unknown"

Nora is a lovely, refined name that conjures up images of Belle Epoch ladies in fur-trimmed coats skating in Central Park. Long seen as a quintessentially Irish name though its roots are not in…

Norah

English, Arabic

"woman of honor, light"

The skyrocketing success of singer Norah Jones brought this spelling of the name onto the pop charts in 2003. As well as being a spelling variant of Nora in English, it's also an alternative…

Nina

Short form of names that end in -nina

Nina is as multiethnic as you can get: Nina is a common nickname name in Spain and Russia, a Babylonian goddess of the oceans, and an Incan goddess of fire. Here and now, it's a stylish possibility…

Nicole

French feminine variation of Nicholas, Greek

"people of victory"

Nicole was derived from Nicholas, the English variation of the Greek Nikolaos, composed of the compounds nike , meaning "victory," and laos , "people." The variation Nicole arose in the Middle Ages…

Nola

Gaelic

"white shoulder"

Nola, a name with a sleek, enigmatic quality, was used for the much-pursued heroine of Spike Lee's 1986 breakout film, She's Gotta Have It , and again by Woody Allen in Match Point . It's a short…

Nasrin

Persian

"wild rose"

Nasrin has a strong sound and lovely floral meaning. International variants include the Turkish Nesrin and Egyptian Nesreen.

Nelda

English

"one who lives by the alder tree"

Occasionally heard in Ireland, small chance of success here.

Nephele

Greek

"cloudy"

An enchanting ancient Greek name belonging to the Greek goddess who was created from a cloud by Zeus and so became goddess of the clouds and mother of the centaurs. The name Nephele is not widely…

Nessa

Scandinavian

"headlands, promontory"

Like its cousin Tessa, Nessa -- a shortening of Vanessa or Agnes or Anastasia among other possibilities -- is an attractive nickname that can stand on its own.

Nettie

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…

Nicasia

Latin, female variation of Nicasio

"victorious"

An interesting and unusual member of the "Nic" family--far more distinctive than NICOLE or NICOLA.

Nima

Hebrew, Arabic, and Hindi

"thread, hair; blessing; margosa tree"

Multicultural name often heard in the Near East. Also spelled Neema and Nimah.

Nona

Latin

"ninth"

Nona is a name sometimes given to the ninth child -- but unlikely to serve that purpose today. Musical cred: the name of a song by Motley Crue. In Roman mythology, Nona was also a goddess of…

Nyx

Greek mythology name

"night"

In Greek mythology, Nyx was a powerful goddess and the embodiment of the night, giving this name a dark yet mystical feel. She is often depicted as one of the first deities, an offspring of Chaos who…