Total births
33,869
Girls' name · since 1880
Norah
33,869 babies named Norah in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2017. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #223
- among girls today
- 33,869
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
33,869 babies have been named Norah since 1880, making it today's #223 girls' name.
Norah has 33,869 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #223 as of the latest data, more common than 99% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #223 among girls today
- 33,869 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 99% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Norah is currently the #223 girls' name in America, more common than 99% of girls - 33,869 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #223
- among girls today
- 33,869
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
Norah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#223
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
52% of everyone ever named Norah was born in this single decade.
2017
Single peak year
2,156 babies were named Norah in 2017 - its busiest year on record.
How Norah compares
33,869 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Norah's all-time total is 89x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Norah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 33,869 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,156 | 48 | 19,840 |
Norah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Norah's full recorded timeline at 1953, 97% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 3% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1889, with just 7 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2017 peak of 2,156 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Norah at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2017
Current rank
#223
Active since
1880
Norah popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2017)
- 2,156
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Norah popularity over time - boys
129 total births recorded since 1919 (Norah as boys' name)
Norah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Norah's strongest decade.
17,744 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Norah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 125
1880s
125 births
- 1890s 146
1890s
146 births
- 1900s 114
1900s
114 births
- 1910s 177
1910s
177 births
- 1920s 197
1920s
197 births
- 1930s 129
1930s
129 births
- 1940s 206
1940s
206 births
- 1950s 234
1950s
234 births
- 1960s 213
1960s
213 births
- 1970s 238
1970s
238 births
- 1980s 327
1980s
327 births
- 1990s 357
1990s
357 births
- 2000s 4,459
2000s
4,459 births
- 2010s
2010s
17,744 births
- 2020s
2020s
9,203 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 17,744 births (52% of all-time use).
How Norah compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Norah's total volume
Norah vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Norah by state
Where Norah concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,404 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,936 | 5.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 1,531 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,505 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,375 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 1,372 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,244 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Florida | | 1,192 | 3.5% |
California share of Norah's total US births 7.1%
Even split
2,404 of 33,869 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Norah appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Norah? ▼
Norah has been given to 33,869 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #223 as of the latest data. 2,156 babies were born in 2017, its single highest year.
When was Norah most popular? ▼
Norah was most popular in the 2010s decade with 17,744 total births. The single peak year was 2017.
Where is Norah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Norah are California (2,404 births), Texas (1,936 births), New York (1,531 births).
How long has the name Norah been used? ▼
Records for Norah go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Norah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Norma, Nora, Noreen, Norine, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Norah's data
- Norah's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (17,744 total births) through the 2020s (9,203) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Norahs (2,404 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Norah
Nearby Names Like Norah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Norah
Norma Girl
#2559 278,071 births
Nora Girl
#22 193,138 births
Noreen Girl
#6411 20,108 births
Norine Girl
#15334 5,242 births
Norene Girl
4,790 births
Compare Norah side by side: Norah vs Norma Norah vs Nora Norah vs Noreen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Norah
Mabel #222
142,284 births · Peak 1915
Alora #224
11,893 births · Peak 2025
Alexandra #221
245,451 births · Peak 1993
Presley #225
31,778 births · Peak 2014
Kaylee #220
140,425 births · Peak 2009
Vera #226
149,456 births · Peak 1918
Adalyn #219
31,014 births · Peak 2015
Amy #227
701,631 births · Peak 1975
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Norah: #223 Girls' Name - 33,869 Births, Peak 2017." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/norah. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Norah draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.