Nohwa
A Korean feminine name meaning "Girl of flowers" or "Blossoming flower".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Nohwa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nohwa today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nohwa births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nohwa. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nohwa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,695
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Nohwa: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nohwa 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 Nohwa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nohwa
The given name Nohwa has its origins in the Navajo language, which is spoken by the Navajo people, an indigenous tribe located in the southwestern United States. The name Nohwa is believed to have emerged during the 16th century, when the Navajo settled in the present-day states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Nohwa is derived from the Navajo word "nohwá," which translates to "walking" or "traveling." In the Navajo culture, the act of walking and movement held significant spiritual and cultural importance, symbolizing the journey of life and the connection with the natural world.
While there are no known historical references to the name Nohwa in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented in various Navajo oral traditions and storytelling. These stories often portrayed individuals with the name Nohwa as adventurous, resilient, and deeply connected to the land.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nohwa dates back to the late 18th century, when a prominent Navajo leader and warrior named Nohwa Bah was known for his bravery and leadership during conflicts with Spanish settlers and other tribes.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Nohwa:
1. Nohwa Tso (1856 - 1932), a Navajo medicine man and healer renowned for his extensive knowledge of traditional healing practices and ceremonies.
2. Nohwa Tsosie (1882 - 1952), a Navajo weaver and artist celebrated for her intricate and vibrant textile designs, which preserved and promoted Navajo cultural traditions.
3. Nohwa Chee (1905 - 1987), a Navajo silversmith and jeweler who played a significant role in reviving and popularizing Navajo silversmithing techniques in the early 20th century.
4. Nohwa Begay (1921 - 2003), a prominent Navajo Code Talker during World War II, who used the Navajo language to transmit coded messages that were crucial in the Allied victory.
5. Nohwa Yazzie (1931 - 2018), a Navajo educator and advocate for bilingual education, who dedicated her life to preserving the Navajo language and promoting its incorporation in educational settings.
The name Nohwa continues to hold cultural significance within the Navajo community, representing the deep connection between the people and their traditional values of movement, exploration, and respect for the natural world.
People
Nohwa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nohwa 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
Nohwa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nohwa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nohwa 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Nohwa a common name?
We classify Nohwa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nohwa most popular?
The single biggest year for Nohwa was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nohwa is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Nohwa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nohwa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nohwa 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.
Is Nohwa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nohwa 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 Nohwa 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Nohwa?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Nohwa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.