Nechuma
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "comfort" or "consolation".
Name Census estimates that about 157 living Americans carry the first name Nechuma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nechuma today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nechuma births was 2021 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nechuma. 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
157
~ 1 in 2,183,149 Americans
Peak year
2021
12 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,815
Tracked since 1995
Census
Nechuma in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 175 people with the first name Nechuma, which placed it at #41,669 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#41,669
National first-name rank
People counted
175
175 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
98.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nechuma
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nechuma is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nechuma described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nechuma at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 172
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 3
Popularity
Nechuma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nechuma from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 70 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nechuma remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nechuma 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 Nechuma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nechumas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nechuma
The given name Nechuma originates from the Hebrew language and Jewish culture, with its roots tracing back to ancient times. In its earliest form, the name was likely derived from the Hebrew word "nechamah," which means "comfort" or "consolation." This name carries a deep spiritual significance within the Jewish tradition, often associated with the idea of finding solace and peace during times of hardship.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nechuma can be found in the Book of Isaiah, a significant text in the Hebrew Bible. In this biblical context, the name is used as a symbolic representation of the comforting nature of God, offering hope and reassurance to the people of Israel. This connection to sacred scriptures has likely contributed to the name's enduring popularity within Jewish communities throughout the centuries.
During the Middle Ages, the name Nechuma gained further recognition as several notable rabbinical scholars and religious leaders bore this name. One prominent figure was Nechuma ben Hakana, a renowned Talmudic scholar who lived in the 3rd century CE. His teachings and writings had a profound impact on the development of Jewish law and tradition.
In the 16th century, Nechuma Samet, a prominent Kabbalist and philosopher from Safed, Israel, gained recognition for her spiritual insights and contributions to Jewish mysticism. Her teachings were highly influential and helped shape the understanding of Kabbalah during that era.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Nechuma Leibowitz, a renowned Torah scholar and educator from Latvia, left a lasting legacy through her groundbreaking work in teaching and interpreting Jewish texts. Her innovative approaches to Torah study and her dedication to empowering women in Jewish education earned her widespread respect and admiration.
Another notable figure bearing the name Nechuma was Nechuma Lerer, a Polish-born American author and educator who lived from 1903 to 1991. She was a pioneer in the field of Jewish education, authoring numerous books and curricula aimed at preserving and promoting Jewish culture and values among youth.
While the name Nechuma has its origins in the Hebrew language and Jewish tradition, it has also been embraced by various cultures and communities around the world, transcending linguistic and geographic boundaries. The name's deep symbolic meaning and historical significance have contributed to its enduring popularity throughout the ages.
People
Nechuma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nechuma 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
Nechuma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nechuma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nechuma 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 2,183,149 US residents.
Is Nechuma a common name?
We classify Nechuma as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 159 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nechuma most popular?
The single biggest year for Nechuma was 2021, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nechuma is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nechuma in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 175 people with the name Nechuma, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #41,669 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nechuma in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nechuma?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nechuma leans strongly female. 173 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nechuma?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nechuma is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nechuma most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nechuma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (172 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nechuma in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nechuma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nechuma 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.
Is Nechuma still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nechuma in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nechuma can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How common is the name Nechuma?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Nechuma on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.