Nohely
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "heaven's daughter".
Name Census estimates that about 863 living Americans carry the first name Nohely. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nohely today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nohely births was 1994 (215 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nohely. 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
863
~ 1 in 397,166 Americans
Peak year
1994
215 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,030
Tracked since 1987
Census
Nohely in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 799 people with the first name Nohely, which placed it at #14,674 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
#14,674
National first-name rank
People counted
799
799 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
98.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nohely
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nohely is Hispanic at 98.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Nohely 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 Nohely at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino98.1% · 784
- White0.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- Two or more races0.3% · 2
Popularity
Nohely: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nohely from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 549 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nohely 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 Nohely during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nohelys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Nohely, while Oregon, Nevada, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 56 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nohely
The name Nohely is a unique and enigmatic name with origins that are not entirely clear. It is believed to have roots in the indigenous cultures of Central America, possibly deriving from the Mayan or Toltec languages. The meaning of the name is shrouded in mystery, with some scholars suggesting it may be related to words or concepts pertaining to nature, such as "flower" or "beautiful."
While records of the name's earliest usage are scarce, it is thought to have been present in certain regions of what is now Mexico and Guatemala during the pre-Columbian era. Some historians have speculated that the name may have been associated with ancient deities or revered figures in the intricate belief systems of these civilizations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Nohely was a Toltec princess who lived in the 10th century AD. Her story is documented in the Codex Chimalpopoca, an important Nahua codex that chronicles the history and legends of the Toltec people. Unfortunately, detailed accounts of her life and significance have been lost to time.
In the 16th century, a Mayan woman named Nohely played a pivotal role in the resistance against Spanish colonization in the Yucatán peninsula. Her bravery and leadership inspired many to fight for the preservation of their cultural traditions and way of life. Tragically, her ultimate fate remains unknown.
During the colonial era in Latin America, the name Nohely resurfaced occasionally, though it remained relatively uncommon. One notable figure was Nohely Fernández, a celebrated poet and activist from Guatemala who lived from 1824 to 1896. Her powerful words and unwavering advocacy for indigenous rights left a lasting impact on the region's literary and political landscapes.
In the 20th century, Nohely Arteaga (1922-2001), a Honduran painter and sculptor, gained international acclaim for her vibrant and evocative depictions of Central American culture and traditions. Her works are celebrated for their vivid colors and intricate symbolism, capturing the essence of her heritage.
Finally, Nohely Quintero (1944-2021), a Venezuelan novelist and essayist, made significant contributions to Latin American literature with her poignant explorations of identity, social issues, and the human condition. Her novels, such as "Siembra de arena" (Sowing Sand) and "El viento sobre las alas" (The Wind Over the Wings), earned her numerous accolades and a dedicated following.
People
Nohely + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nohely 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
Nohely: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nohely?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 863 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nohely 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 397,166 US residents.
Is Nohely a common name?
We classify Nohely as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 886 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nohely most popular?
The single biggest year for Nohely was 1994, when 215 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nohely is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nohely in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 799 people with the name Nohely, or 0.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,674 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 Nohely 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 Nohely?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nohely appears almost entirely female. Of the 804 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Nohely?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nohely is Hispanic at 98.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Nohely most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Nohely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (784 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 Nohely in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nohely a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nohely 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 Nohely still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nohely 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 Nohely 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 many people have Nohely as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Nohely, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.