Nino
A masculine name of Spanish origin meaning "little boy".
Name Census estimates that about 2,239 living Americans carry the first name Nino. It is a predominantly male name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Nino today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nino births was 1998 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nino. 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
2.2K
~ 1 in 153,084 Americans
Peak year
1998
54 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,129
Tracked since 1912
Gender
Gender distribution for Nino
Out of the 2,708 babies given the name Nino since 1880, 99.2% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Nino as a male name
- Ranked #3,129 in 2024
- 39 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (54 births)
Nino as a female name
- Ranked #18,124 in 2016
- 5 female births in 2016
- Peak: 2009 (6 births)
Popularity
Nino: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nino from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 418 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Nino remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nino 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 Nino during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ninos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Nino, while Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 66 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nino
The given name Nino originates from the Italian language and has its roots in the Latin word "ninus," meaning "little." It was initially a diminutive or pet name derived from other Italian names like Giovanni, Antonino, or Genoveffa. The name Nino gained popularity in Italy during the Middle Ages, particularly between the 12th and 15th centuries.
In ancient Roman history, the name Nino was associated with Ninus, the legendary founder and first king of the ancient city of Nineveh, which was part of the Assyrian Empire. This association can be traced back to the 1st century AD work "Bibliotheca Historica" by Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nino can be found in the literary work "Il Decamerone" by the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, written in the 14th century. In this work, Nino is mentioned as a character's name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nino. One of the most famous was Nino Picci (1899-1973), an Italian singer and actor who was a prominent figure in the early days of Italian cinema. Another well-known Nino was Nino Manfredi (1921-2004), an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter known for his roles in numerous Italian comedies.
In the world of sports, Nino Bixio (1875-1940) was an Italian cyclist who won the Giro d'Italia in 1914 and is considered one of the pioneers of Italian cycling. Nino Ferrer (1934-1998) was a French-Italian singer and songwriter who achieved significant success in both countries with his unique blend of genres.
Nino Rota (1911-1979) was an acclaimed Italian composer known for his film scores, including the iconic music for "The Godfather" and other collaborations with director Federico Fellini. His contributions to cinema and music have left an indelible mark on Italian cultural heritage.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nino
People
Nino + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nino 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
Nino: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nino?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,239 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nino 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 153,084 US residents.
Is Nino a common name?
We classify Nino as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,708 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nino most popular?
The single biggest year for Nino was 1998, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nino is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nino a male name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Nino in the SSA data are male. 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.