Nea
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "new" or "young".
Name Census estimates that about 386 living Americans carry the first name Nea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nea today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nea births was 2007 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nea. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
386
~ 1 in 887,965 Americans
Peak year
2007
16 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,779
Tracked since 1932
Popularity
Nea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nea from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 117 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Nea remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nea by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Neas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nea
The name Nea is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to ancient Greece. It is believed to have originated from the Greek word "neos," meaning "new" or "young." The name was popular during the classical era and was associated with the concept of renewal, growth, and vitality.
In ancient Greek mythology, Nea was a minor goddess who personified youth and rejuvenation. She was often depicted as a beautiful young woman, symbolizing the freshness and vigor of youth. The name Nea was commonly given to newborn girls as a way to bless them with a long and vibrant life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nea can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman named Nea from the city of Miletus in the 5th century BCE. Nea was also the name of a Greek poetess who lived in the 3rd century BCE and was renowned for her elegiac verses.
During the Byzantine era, the name Nea gained popularity among the Eastern Orthodox Christian community. It was often used as a shortened form of the name Neaera, which means "new era" or "new age." This association with a new beginning or a fresh start likely contributed to the name's enduring appeal.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Nea:
1. Nea Cornaro (1457-1509), a Venetian noblewoman who briefly ruled the island of Cyprus.
2. Nea Boulanger (1893-1925), a French composer and teacher who influenced many significant composers of the 20th century.
3. Nea Dervenakia (1908-1945), a Greek resistance fighter who fought against the Axis occupation during World War II.
4. Nea Morich (1905-1942), a Yugoslav partisan and one of the first women to receive the Order of the People's Hero, the highest military decoration in Yugoslavia.
5. Nea Thomaidou (1876-1962), a Greek actress and theater director who played a significant role in the development of modern Greek theater.
While the name Nea may have lost some of its popularity in recent times, it remains a timeless and meaningful name rooted in the rich cultural heritage of ancient Greece, symbolizing the eternal cycle of renewal and the boundless potential of youth.
People
Nea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nea as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 386 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nea going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 887,965 US residents.
Is Nea a common name?
We classify Nea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 401 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nea most popular?
The single biggest year for Nea was 2007, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nea is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nea in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.