Nomi
A Japanese feminine name meaning "beautiful" or "beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 549 living Americans carry the first name Nomi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nomi today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nomi births was 2024 (71 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nomi. 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
549
~ 1 in 624,325 Americans
Peak year
2024
71 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,516
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Nomi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nomi from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 298 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
Nomi 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 Nomi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nomis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, North Carolina, New York recorded the most babies named Nomi, while New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nomi
The name Nomi has its origins in the Japanese language and culture. It is derived from the Japanese word "nomi," which means "to drink" or "to swallow." The name can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan.
Nomi was a relatively common name for women in ancient Japan. It was often given to daughters born into families involved in the production or distribution of sake, a traditional Japanese rice wine. The name was seen as a symbol of hospitality and generosity.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Nomi can be found in the "Kojiki," an ancient Japanese chronicle compiled in 712 CE. The text mentions a character named Nomi no Sukune, who was a legendary figure associated with the introduction of sake brewing to Japan.
Throughout Japanese history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Nomi. One example is Nomi no Sukune Okume (born 678 CE), who was a renowned sake brewer and purported to be a descendant of the legendary Nomi no Sukune.
Another historical figure with the name Nomi was Nomi Muratada (1325-1388 CE), a Japanese military commander who served under the Ashikaga shogunate during the Nanboku-chō period.
In the Edo period (1603-1867 CE), a famous courtesan named Nomi no Mai (1661-1716) was renowned for her beauty and skill in traditional Japanese dance and entertainment.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912 CE), Nomi Yushichi (1840-1903) was a prominent businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the modernization of Japan's textile industry.
In more recent times, Nomi Kusunoki (1923-2017) was a celebrated Japanese ceramist and Living National Treasure, recognized for her mastery of the Karatsu pottery style.
People
Nomi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nomi 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
Nomi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nomi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 549 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nomi 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 624,325 US residents.
Is Nomi a common name?
We classify Nomi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 557 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nomi most popular?
The single biggest year for Nomi was 2024, when 71 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nomi is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nomi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nomi 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.