Nina
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "little girl".
Name Census estimates that about 82,783 living Americans carry the first name Nina. It sits at #321 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nina today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nina births was 1980 (1,896 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nina. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Nina is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 250 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
83K
~ 1 in 4,140 Americans
Peak year
1980
1,896 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1995 SSA rank
#321
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Nina
Out of the 133,070 babies given the name Nina since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Nina as a male name
- Ranked #8,571 in 1995
- 6 male births in 1995
- Peak: 1969 (10 births)
Nina as a female name
- Ranked #321 in 2024
- 955 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1980 (1,889 births)
Popularity
Nina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nina from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 13,709 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Nina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nina 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 Nina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ninas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Nina, while Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 2,356 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nina
The name Nina has its origins in several ancient cultures and languages. It is derived from the Russian, Spanish, and Italian diminutive form of the name Anna, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "grace" or "favor".
In ancient Russia, Nina was a popular name among the nobility and aristocracy. It was used as a diminutive form of Anna and was often given to daughters of wealthy families. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nina is Nina Svyatoslavna, a medieval princess of Chernigov who lived in the 12th century.
In Spain and Italy, Nina was also a common name, particularly among the upper classes. It was seen as a more refined and feminine version of the name Anna. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nina in Spain is Nina Ayala, a noblewoman who lived in the 14th century.
The name Nina also has a connection to ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, Nina was the name of a beautiful nymph who was loved by the god Apollo. This association with beauty and grace may have contributed to the popularity of the name in various cultures.
Throughout history, there have been many notable individuals named Nina. One of the most famous was Nina Simone, the American singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist who lived from 1933 to 2003. Another well-known Nina was Nina Bari, a Russian-born American actress who appeared in numerous films in the 1930s and 1940s.
In the world of literature, Nina Berberova was a Russian writer and literary critic who lived from 1901 to 1993. She is known for her novels and memoirs, which offer a unique perspective on Russian émigré life in the 20th century.
In the field of science, Nina Byers was an American theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to the study of quantum chromodynamics and particle physics. She lived from 1939 to 2022.
Finally, Nina Hagen is a German singer and actress who has been active in the music industry since the late 1970s. She is known for her eclectic style and her contributions to the punk and new wave movements.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals named Nina throughout history. The name continues to be popular in various cultures around the world, reflecting its timeless appeal and rich cultural heritage.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nina
People
Nina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nina 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
Nina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 82,783 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nina 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 4,140 US residents.
Is Nina a common name?
We classify Nina as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 133,070 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nina most popular?
The single biggest year for Nina was 1980, when 1,896 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nina is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nina a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Nina 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.