Naara

Nadia, an accessible Slavic favorite, has a strong run of popularity in the US in the early 2000s, partially thanks to the character on Lost called Nadia but actually named Noor, but it's since slumped down the rankings. An earlier inspiration was Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who won the 1976 Olympics. Nadia is actually a short form of Nadezhda, the name of Lenin's wife, though more Westerners will relate it to the familiar Natalya or Natasha.

 Nadia is also a traditional Arabic name, popular in the Muslim community and also spelled Nadiyya or Nadya. It means "moist, tender, delicate" in Arabic.

 Octomom Suleman spells her first name Nadya, as in the Queen Nadya character in Noel Coward's play The Queen was in the Parlour.

Nadia

Nadja

Nadya and Nadia are Eastern European short forms -- for the more difficult Nadezhda -- now fully accepted on their own. 

Nadya

Nahara

A very popular girls' name in the Basque country and Puerto Rico. It is among the Top 100 <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/161/spanish-names">Spanish baby names</a>, so it's a girls' name that's widely used in Spain.

Nahia

An additional H is often found in Puerto Rican names, such as Amahia, a variation of Amaia, and Nahiara, a form of the Basque place name Naiara.

Nahiara

While many are familiar with the Hebrew name Naomi through the Biblical character, the name also has separate roots as a unisex Japanese name meaning "straight and beautiful." Variation Nahomi is rising in use for girls, potentially due to Japanese footballer Nahomi Kawasumi who plays for the American soccer team NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Nahomi

Nahomy

Multicultural option, equally intriguing as, but more unusual than, Maia. 

Naia

Naiah

Basque name for a Spanish city where the Virgin Mary appeared in medieval times, now a popular girls' name throughout Spain.

Naiara

Naidelyn

Naila

Rising star Nailah Blackman is a Trinidadian singer.

Nailah

Naiomi

Kenya is fairly commonly heard as a girl's name, but its capital city makes a much more exceptional choice. 

Nairobi

Naisha

Nakisha

Nallely

Nancy originated as a contraction of "mine Ancy," with Ancy being a nickname for Annis, a Medieval English variation of Agnes. In the 18th century it began being used in its own right, as well as a nickname for Ann. Related names include Nan, Nance, Nanette, Nanny, and Nanou.
 
A name that has always been in the Top 1000, Nancy was in the Top 20 from 1931 to 1962, in the Top 10 for several of those years; in 1940, Nancy was given to about 20,000 baby girls. However, Nancy's star appears to be waning, as it has lost popularity in recent years. But the name itself is still lovely. Nancy has a pleasant sound and look and is easy to spell and pronounce. 
 
Nancy is a major character in Oliver Twist and is fondly remembered by some as Nancy Drew, girl detective, while contemporary kids are enjoying the Fancy Nancy series. Frank Sinatra paid tribute to his daughter with the song "Nancy with the Laughing Face." Nancy also has political ties, via the mother of Abraham Lincoln, the wife of Ronald Reagan (born Anne), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Nancy

Naomi was once a primarily Jewish name from the Old Testament that referenced the mother-in-law of Ruth. Because of this, it is a symbolic name given to girls on Shavuot when the story of Ruth is read in the synagogue. 
The French version is Noemie, in Italian Noemi. Naomi also has separate Japanese origins as a unisex name meaning "straight and beautiful."
 
This long-quiet Old Testament name seems to finally be finding favor with parents seeking a biblical name with a soft, melodic sound and a positive meaning, suddenly sounding fresher than the widely used Sarah, Rachel, and Rebecca. It's now more popular than ever after breaking the Top 100 for the first time in 2010. 
 
Beautiful black model Naomi Campbell and blond actress Naomi Watts have helped the modernization. Other namesakes are singer Naomi Judd and feminist writer Naomi Wolf.

Naomi

Naomy

Nashira is one of those obscure space names that might rise along with such heavenly choices as Orion, Luna, and even Nevaeh.  A giant star in Capricorn, Nashira is an unusual and attractive name with several positive associations.

Nashira

Nashly, for when Oakley feels too popular and Ashley is too out of style, for when Natalie is a bit too traditional and Natasha just isn't right, for when you like Hadley and Presley and Ainsley but want something more, for when you loved Nash for a baby boy or when you need to honor a Nathaniel and an Ashley in one.
 
Combining the elements of Nash and Ashley, Nashly means "from the ash tree meadow". With its unisex vibes and its familiar but unexpected sounds, it's a modern choice with a bit of sass and a hint of the 90s. 
 
First used in 2001, Nashly is now a fast-rising name and was given to 136 babies in the US in 2023. Popular TikToker and lifestyle influence Nashly Vazquez may have brought attention to the name.

Nashly

Natali

Natalia was derived from the Latin word natalis, meaning "birthday." It refers to the birthday of Jesus Christ, and thus originated as a name for girls born on Christmas Day. Related forms include the French Natalie, Portuguese Natalina, and Russian diminutive Natasha.
 
More romantic that Natalie, more unusual than Natasha and heard frequently in Spain, Portugal, and the Slavic countries, this is a distinctive, strong but feminine member of the Natalie/Natasha family, with the appealing short form Talia. 
 
Like her cousins, Natalia is a name often given to girls born around Christmas.
 
Natalie Wood was born Natalia. Other namesakes include renowned Russian-born prima ballerina Natalia Makarova and supermodel Natalia Vodianova.

Natalia

Natalie—a Franco-Russian name—became Americanized years ago and is one of those surprising names that's always ranked among the girls' Top 1000 names in the US.
 An Old Lady Name in the 1950s, Natalie reversed course and has been more popular than ever in this century, though it's fallen off a bit from its peak in 2008.
 Natalie is the French variation of Natalia, a name originally derived from the Latin phrase natale domini, meaning "birthday of the Lord." It was historically given to girls born around Christmas for this reason. 
 Natalie was Cameron Diaz's character in Charlie's Angels, and was attached to first Natalie Wood, then Natalie Cole (named for her father), and now Natalie Portman. 
 Along with Cole, Natalie has other musical ties to singers—Maines, Imbruglia and Merchant -- and to a not too flattering hit song by Bruno Mars. Natalie has been a TV regular ranging from the lovable character on the old The Facts of Life, to Monk to Orange is the New Black.
 
Nathalie is an additional, though less common, spelling of the name.

Natalie

With Natalie and Natalia in the US Top 100, it is perhaps not a surprise to see a spelling variant enter the US Top 1000. New for 2023, Nataly was given to nearly 300 baby girls.
 
Derived from Late Latin and meaning "born at Christmas", this isn't Nataly's first appearance in the charts, however. It has been used since the 90s, and peaked in 2008, when it reaches the Top 400. It fell out of favor in the 2010s, but it is now the only spelling variant in the charts, having pushed out Nathalie, Natalee and Nathaly. Used in Brazil and Mexico too, Nataly lends itself to nickname Tally more easily, perhaps.
 
Notable namesakes include Nataly Dawn, the vocalist of American musical duo Pomplamoose and Nataly Andria-Dave, a Malagasy-French songwriter and pop singer. 
 It may be tempting to spell a popular name differently, to put your own spin on it, however, in the US, it still sounds the same as the long-time favorite Natalie and will feel just as popular, just with the headache of spelling it out every time.

Nataly

Natasha, an appealing, still unusual name, entered the American mainstream post-Cold War but seems to have peaked in the eighties, replaced by the more straightforward Natalie. As is common for Natashas the world over, the Obamas shorten their Natasha's name to Sasha.
 Cultural references range from the central character in Tolstoy's War and Peace to Chekhov's Three Sisters and some of his short stories to comix heroine agent Natasha Romanoff, and was seen on screen in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers.

Natasha

The more familiar spelling Natalia currently sits much further up the list and has even made two brief appearances in the Top 100 during the last decade. Nathalia on the other hand has never been a particularly popular choice. The name has floated on and off the Top 1000 charts over the last 2 decades, favored especially by Hispanic and Latin American parents.
 Two young actresses bear this name: Nathalia Dill from Brazil and Nathalia Ramos from Spain. Nathalia Crane was an American poet and novelist.

Nathalia

A French variation of Natalie that's used occasionally in contemporary America. In England and Wales Natalie remains about 10 times as popular as Nathalie.


Nathalie

This variant of the more popular spellings swaps out the -ie ending for a y, though the result is a name that is more reminiscent of Italy than a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girl's name</a>. While it has ranked in the US Top 1000 since 2004, it sits a couple hundred spots behind Nathalie (Number 670), and it pales in comparison to the constant Natalie (Number 31).

Nathaly

Nayara or Naiara is a Basque name for a Spanish city where the Virgin Mary appeared in medieval times, now a popular girls' name throughout Spain.

Nayara

A name rarely heard outside the Latino community, but it was popular enough in the early 2000s to crack the Top 200. Since then, it's lost ground.

Nayeli

Nayelis

Nayelli

Nayely

Nayla

Naylah

Nayomi

Neisha

Why would parents use such a negative word as a baby name? With Nemesis, it seems to be all about style. Nemesis repeats the fashionable -is ending found in girl names such as Genesis, Amaris, and Odalys. And we have to admit, Nemy makes a pretty cute nickname.
 
The first recorded use of Nemesis as a name was in 1990. It's never been given to more than 15 baby girls in a given year.

Nemesis

Short but energetic and substantial, Nia has special meaning for African-American parents, as it's one of the days of Kwanza. Nia also benefits by its similarity to (yet differentness from) the megapopular Mia.
 Current bearers include actresses Long and Vardalos (born Antonia), and popular television show Dance Moms star Nia Frazier.

Nichole

Nicol

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 in France to honor St. Nicholas. Names related to Nicole include Colette, Nicolette, Nika, Nicola, and Nicolina.
 
Nicole was one of the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> of the eighties —when it reached Number 4—and into the nineties. Nicole has now lost most of its French flair, but is still widely used.
 Nicole Kidman is a notable current bearer of the name, some others are Nicole Richie and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi. Nicole "Nicky" Nichols is a key character on Orange is the New Black.

Nicole

Nicolle

Nilda

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 that's been underused. "Weird Al" Yankovic chose this decidedly nonweird name for his daughter.
 Nina has been a permanent resident on the Social Security list, mainly in the low hundreds. 
 In literature, Nina Zarechnaia is one of the principle characters in Chekhov's drama The Seagull, as well as appearing in Trollope's Phineas Finn and Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies.
 More recent real-life bearers have included jazz singer Nina Simone (born Eunice) and Nina Garcia of Project Runway fame.
 Natalie Portman was awarded an Oscar for her role as ballerina Nina Sayers in the 2010 Black Swan.

Nina

This Old Testament female name has been one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> 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.

Okay, this is going to be 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, which means "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 Noah is an established variant spelling, popularized by Noah Cyrus.

 So is a girl called Noah 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.

Noah

This name of an admired Puerto Rican pop singer has been picked up by hundreds of Hispanic parents. 

Noelia

Noemi is a charming Latin spin on Naomi, with the accent on the last syllable; another twist is Neomi.

Noemi

Nohely

Invented for Bellini's opera, Norma had some star quality in the silent-screen and Marilyn Monroe days, but at this point it's a graying grandma in baby name limbo. 

Norma

Nyah

Very rarely used, could provide a distinctive alternative to Lydia. 

Nydia

Nachali

Nachalie

Nachaly

Nadeisha

Nadesha

Nadeshka

Nadeysha

Nadyalee

Naelys

Nagely

Nagelys

Nahiely

Nahielys

Nahiomy

Nahir

Naiely

Naielys

Naihara

Naihomy

Nailyn

Naiomy

Naishalee

Naishaly

Naishka

Naiyelis

Naleishka

Nanishka

Nashalee

Nashali

Nashalie

Nashaliz

Nashally

Nashaly

Nashalys

Natacha

Nathasha

Natisha

Natshalie

Natshaly

Naydeline

Naydeliz

Nayelee

jevohh's list "Puerto Rican Girl names beginning with N" of 148 great name ideas: Naara - Normarys!