Ninfa
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "nymph" or "fairy".
Name Census estimates that about 1,309 living Americans carry the first name Ninfa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ninfa today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ninfa births was 1928 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ninfa. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 261,844 Americans
Peak year
1928
54 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,668
Tracked since 1910
Popularity
Ninfa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ninfa from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 390 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ninfa 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 Ninfa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ninfas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Ninfa, while New Mexico, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 432 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ninfa
Ninfa is a given name of Spanish and Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "nympha," which means "nymph" or "young maiden." The name has been in use since ancient times, associated with the mythological creatures known as nymphs in Greek and Roman mythology.
The earliest known reference to the name Ninfa dates back to the 4th century BCE, where it was mentioned in the writings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. In ancient Roman literature, the name Ninfa appears in the works of Ovid and Virgil, who wrote about the nymphs of forests, rivers, and meadows.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ninfa was used in various regions of Italy, particularly in the southern regions. It was also adopted in Spain, where it was influenced by the Moorish culture that had a significant presence in the Iberian Peninsula for several centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ninfa was Ninfa of Montalto, an Italian noblewoman who lived in the 15th century. She was known for her involvement in the political affairs of the Papal States and her patronage of the arts.
In the 16th century, Ninfa Strozzi, an Italian noblewoman and poet, became a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of Renaissance Florence. She was renowned for her literary works and her support of humanist ideals.
During the 17th century, Ninfa Pamphili was an influential member of the Pamphili family, one of the most powerful noble families in Rome. She played a significant role in the cultural and political life of the city.
In the 19th century, Ninfa Blasco Ibáñez, a Spanish writer and novelist, gained recognition for her literary works that explored social and political themes of her time. She was born in 1865 and died in 1936.
Another notable figure was Ninfa Segarra, a Puerto Rican activist and feminist who fought for women's rights and social justice in the early 20th century. She was born in 1891 and passed away in 1975.
While the name Ninfa has its roots in ancient mythology and literature, it has continued to be used throughout various periods and cultures, carrying with it a sense of grace, beauty, and connection to nature.
People
Ninfa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ninfa 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
Ninfa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ninfa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,309 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ninfa 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 261,844 US residents.
Is Ninfa a common name?
We classify Ninfa as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,459 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ninfa most popular?
The single biggest year for Ninfa was 1928, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ninfa is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ninfa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ninfa 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.