Noa
A feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "freedom, motion or movement".
Name Census estimates that about 12,547 living Americans carry the first name Noa. It sits at #253 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Noa today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Noa births was 2024 (1,487 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Noa. 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
- • Noa is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
13K
~ 1 in 27,318 Americans
Peak year
2024
1,487 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#253
Tracked since 1970
Gender
Gender distribution for Noa
Noa leans heavily female at 82.6% of total registrations, but 2,206 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Noa as a male name
- Ranked #985 in 2024
- 228 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (228 births)
Noa as a female name
- Ranked #253 in 2024
- 1,259 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (1,259 births)
Popularity
Noa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Noa from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5,716 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Noa 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 Noa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Noas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 46 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Noa, while West Virginia, Rhode Island, New Mexico recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 226 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Noa
The name Noa has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, with its earliest roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "navah," which means "motion" or "to move." The name is often associated with concepts of movement, change, and progress.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, the name Noa appears as a variation of the name Noah, the biblical figure who built the ark and survived the great flood. This connection suggests that the name Noa may have been used as a shortened form or nickname for Noah in ancient Hebrew tradition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Noa can be found in the Book of Numbers, where it is mentioned as the name of a daughter of Zelophehad. This reference dates back to around the 13th century BCE, indicating the name's long-standing presence in the Hebrew language and culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Noa. In the 1st century BCE, Noa ben Hinnah was a Jewish scholar and scribe who is mentioned in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism.
During the Middle Ages, Noa Acher was a 12th-century Jewish philosopher and poet from Spain. His works explored themes of mysticism and spirituality, contributing to the intellectual and cultural landscape of his time.
In more recent times, Noa Rat was an Israeli singer-songwriter born in 1953. She gained international recognition for her fusion of Israeli and Middle Eastern musical styles, and her songs often carried messages of peace and unity.
Another prominent figure with the name Noa is Noa Kirel, an Israeli singer and actress born in 1991. She rose to fame as a child star and has since established a successful career in both music and television.
Lastly, Noa Deane is a Australian professional surfer born in 1995. He has competed in various prestigious surfing competitions and is known for his innovative and stylish approach to the sport.
People
Noa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Noa 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
Noa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Noa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12,547 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Noa 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 27,318 US residents.
Is Noa a common name?
We classify Noa as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12,663 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Noa most popular?
The single biggest year for Noa was 2024, when 1,487 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Noa is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Noa a female name?
Yes, 82.6% of people registered as Noa 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.