Norah
Norah was given to 1,191 girls in 2025, #262 among girls’ names; 33,998 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 32,600 Americans named Norah and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (96% of everyone recorded); the median is 10 years old and half are between 6 and 14.
Norah came back: it left the girls’ top 1,000 after 1902 and returned in 2003.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Norah by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Norah mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Norah is “a female given name, a pseudo-Hebrew spelling of Nora, diminutive of Eleonora or Honora.”
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Norah?
#262 among girls’ names, 2025
Norah fell from #159 in 2015 to #262 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 1.1 to 0.74 per 1,000.
2,156 babies in 2017, the peak
Norah peaked in 2017, when 2,156 girls were given it, #137 among girls’ names. The 1,191 births of 2025 are 55% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,191 | #262 | 0.74 |
| 2024 | 1,384 | #223 | 0.85 |
| 2023 | 1,488 | #201 | 0.93 |
| 2022 | 1,539 | #192 | 0.94 |
| 2021 | 1,791 | #160 | 1.1 |
| 2020 | 1,810 | #152 | 1.1 |
| 2019 | 1,975 | #144 | 1.2 |
| 2018 | 2,013 | #140 | 1.2 |
| 2017 | 2,156 | #137 | 1.2 |
| 2016 | 2,026 | #154 | 1.1 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,032 | #159 | 1.1 |
| 2014 | 2,007 | #163 | 1.1 |
| 2013 | 1,725 | #188 | 1.0 |
| 2012 | 1,502 | #210 | 0.85 |
| 2011 | 1,217 | #264 | 0.69 |
| 2010 | 1,091 | #298 | 0.61 |
| 2009 | 959 | #343 | 0.52 |
| 2008 | 666 | #476 | 0.35 |
| 2007 | 689 | #468 | 0.36 |
| 2006 | 591 | #516 | 0.31 |
| 2005 | 558 | #524 | 0.30 |
| 2004 | 476 | #591 | 0.26 |
| 2003 | 303 | #818 | 0.17 |
| 2002 | 96 | #1,859 | 0.05 |
| 2001 | 64 | #2,449 | 0.04 |
| 2000 | 57 | #2,623 | 0.03 |
| 1999 | 44 | #3,032 | 0.02 |
| 1998 | 42 | #3,053 | 0.02 |
| 1997 | 24 | #4,474 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 36 | #3,279 | 0.02 |
| 1995 | 29 | #3,743 | 0.02 |
| 1994 | 31 | #3,583 | 0.02 |
| 1993 | 35 | #3,264 | 0.02 |
| 1992 | 39 | #3,014 | 0.02 |
| 1991 | 39 | #2,968 | 0.02 |
| 1990 | 38 | #3,001 | 0.02 |
| 1989 | 42 | #2,697 | 0.02 |
| 1988 | 38 | #2,774 | 0.02 |
| 1987 | 27 | #3,384 | 0.02 |
| 1986 | 30 | #3,107 | 0.02 |
| 1985 | 28 | #3,214 | 0.02 |
| 1984 | 37 | #2,554 | 0.02 |
| 1983 | 31 | #2,834 | 0.02 |
| 1982 | 27 | #3,231 | 0.02 |
| 1981 | 35 | #2,641 | 0.02 |
| 1980 | 32 | #2,845 | 0.02 |
| 1979 | 33 | #2,709 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 23 | #3,353 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 20 | #3,715 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 30 | #2,642 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 29 | #2,661 | 0.02 |
| 1974 | 23 | #3,064 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 24 | #2,887 | 0.02 |
| 1972 | 22 | #3,027 | 0.01 |
| 1971 | 18 | #3,609 | 0.01 |
| 1970 | 16 | #3,824 | 0.01 |
| 1969 | 14 | #3,914 | 0.01 |
| 1968 | 17 | #3,268 | 0.01 |
| 1967 | 21 | #2,759 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 19 | #2,913 | 0.01 |
| 1965 | 19 | #2,895 | 0.01 |
| 1964 | 21 | #2,799 | 0.01 |
| 1963 | 25 | #2,468 | 0.01 |
| 1962 | 24 | #2,512 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 28 | #2,283 | 0.01 |
| 1960 | 25 | #2,414 | 0.01 |
| 1959 | 16 | #3,069 | 0.01 |
| 1958 | 35 | #1,865 | 0.02 |
| 1957 | 21 | #2,540 | 0.01 |
| 1956 | 13 | #3,452 | 0.01 |
| 1955 | 24 | #2,261 | 0.01 |
| 1954 | 19 | #2,570 | 0.01 |
| 1953 | 32 | #1,771 | 0.02 |
| 1952 | 16 | #2,762 | 0.01 |
| 1951 | 36 | #1,600 | 0.02 |
| 1950 | 22 | #2,104 | 0.01 |
| 1949 | 29 | #1,795 | 0.02 |
| 1948 | 22 | #2,109 | 0.01 |
| 1947 | 24 | #2,029 | 0.01 |
| 1946 | 21 | #2,074 | 0.01 |
| 1945 | 26 | #1,649 | 0.02 |
| 1944 | 15 | #2,365 | 0.01 |
| 1943 | 19 | #2,058 | 0.01 |
| 1942 | 23 | #1,791 | 0.02 |
| 1941 | 11 | #2,794 | 0.01 |
| 1940 | 16 | #2,078 | 0.01 |
| 1939 | 12 | #2,541 | 0.01 |
| 1938 | 15 | #2,197 | 0.01 |
| 1937 | 11 | #2,684 | 0.01 |
| 1936 | 7 | #3,622 | 0.01 |
| 1935 | 12 | #2,537 | 0.01 |
| 1934 | 15 | #2,150 | 0.01 |
| 1933 | 14 | #2,246 | 0.01 |
| 1932 | 13 | #2,457 | 0.01 |
| 1931 | 17 | #2,008 | 0.02 |
| 1930 | 13 | #2,522 | 0.01 |
| 1929 | 18 | #1,998 | 0.02 |
| 1928 | 20 | #1,947 | 0.02 |
| 1927 | 23 | #1,807 | 0.02 |
| 1926 | 11 | #2,999 | 0.01 |
| 1925 | 23 | #1,834 | 0.02 |
| 1924 | 27 | #1,670 | 0.02 |
| 1923 | 18 | #2,141 | 0.01 |
| 1922 | 20 | #2,007 | 0.02 |
| 1921 | 14 | #2,598 | 0.01 |
| 1920 | 23 | #1,792 | 0.02 |
| 1919 | 24 | #1,688 | 0.02 |
| 1918 | 22 | #1,793 | 0.02 |
| 1917 | 25 | #1,542 | 0.02 |
| 1916 | 14 | #2,337 | 0.01 |
| 1915 | 22 | #1,605 | 0.02 |
| 1914 | 21 | #1,424 | 0.03 |
| 1913 | 18 | #1,393 | 0.03 |
| 1912 | 10 | #1,944 | 0.02 |
| 1911 | 9 | #1,751 | 0.02 |
| 1910 | 12 | #1,403 | 0.03 |
| 1909 | 9 | #1,568 | 0.03 |
| 1908 | 11 | #1,325 | 0.03 |
| 1907 | 9 | #1,478 | 0.03 |
| 1906 | 12 | #1,140 | 0.04 |
| 1905 | 10 | #1,281 | 0.03 |
| 1904 | 7 | #1,611 | 0.03 |
| 1903 | 11 | #1,122 | 0.04 |
| 1902 | 16 | #897 | 0.06 |
| 1901 | 11 | #1,053 | 0.05 |
| 1900 | 18 | #911 | 0.06 |
| 1899 | 10 | #1,081 | 0.04 |
| 1898 | 11 | #1,086 | 0.04 |
| 1897 | 22 | #672 | 0.09 |
| 1896 | 18 | #781 | 0.08 |
| 1895 | 18 | #761 | 0.08 |
| 1894 | 13 | #891 | 0.06 |
| 1893 | 16 | #757 | 0.08 |
| 1892 | 11 | #948 | 0.05 |
| 1891 | 16 | #688 | 0.09 |
| 1890 | 11 | #861 | 0.06 |
| 1889 | 7 | #1,106 | 0.04 |
| 1888 | 15 | #682 | 0.08 |
| 1887 | 9 | #834 | 0.06 |
| 1886 | 12 | #685 | 0.08 |
| 1885 | 15 | #569 | 0.11 |
| 1884 | 12 | #633 | 0.09 |
| 1883 | 20 | #432 | 0.18 |
| 1882 | 13 | #523 | 0.12 |
| 1881 | 13 | #485 | 0.14 |
| 1880 | 9 | #618 | 0.10 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Norah a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Norah has been given almost only to girls: 129 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Norah: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Norah, and how old are they?
32,600 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 96% of the 33,998 Americans ever recorded as Norah. The median Norah alive today is 10 years old; half are between 6 and 14.
The 2020 Census counted 23,775 people named Norah (23,675 women and girls, 100 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 24,073 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 94 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 373 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 335 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 527 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 8,310 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 23,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Norah born?
The states with the most babies named Norah are California, Texas and Illinois, with 23% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 111 | #295 | 0.6× |
| Texas | 107 | #320 | 0.6× |
| Illinois | 48 | #209 | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 48 | #239 | 1.0× |
| New York | 47 | #365 | 0.7× |
| Florida | 46 | #414 | 0.6× |
| Ohio | 44 | #257 | 1.2× |
| Tennessee | 40 | #193 | 1.0× |
| Washington | 38 | #194 | 1.2× |
| North Carolina | 36 | #308 | 0.8× |
Where Norah is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Norah is most over-represented in Minnesota: since 1910 it was given 1.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Norah with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 234,267 babies since 1880, Norah is the second most given (15% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,191 of their 7,990 babies (15%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Norah
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Norah and names like it
- Compare Norah and NoraBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sNorah peaked in 2017.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Norah since 1910.
- The top names of 2017The year the most babies were named Norah.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Norah alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with NMost given first.