Noria
A feminine name meaning "shining light" or "brilliance" in Arabic.
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Noria. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Noria today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Noria births was 2017 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Noria. 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 Noria. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
2017
9 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,967
Tracked since 1993
Census
Noria in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 284 people with the first name Noria, which placed it at #30,583 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
#30,583
National first-name rank
People counted
284
284 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
29.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noria
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Noria is Hispanic at 29.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.5%) and Black (20.4%). 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 Noria 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 Noria at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino29.6% · 84
- White27.5% · 78
- Black or African American20.4% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.1% · 40
- Two or more races7.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Popularity
Noria: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Noria from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 37 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Noria remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Noria 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 Noria during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Noria
The name Noria has its origins in the Arabic language, with roots tracing back to the Medieval era. It is derived from the Arabic word "nāʿūrah," which refers to a type of water wheel used for irrigation purposes. This word itself stems from the Aramaic term "nāʿūrā," meaning "a machine for raising water."
Noria was a relatively common name among Arabic-speaking populations during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions where agriculture and water management played a crucial role in daily life. The name's association with a water-lifting device highlights its connection to the essential resources of life and the ingenuity of early engineering.
One of the earliest known references to the name Noria can be found in the writings of the 9th-century Arabic historian and geographer, Al-Istakhri. In his work, he mentions a town called "Noria" located in present-day Iran, which was known for its intricate water management systems and agricultural practices.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Noria. One such person was Noria Al-Andalusi (1030-1092), a renowned female poet and scholar from the Andalusian region of Spain during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization. Her poetic works, which often explored themes of love and spirituality, have left a lasting impact on Arabic literature.
Another historical figure with the name Noria was Noria bint Ahmed Al-Marrakushi (1455-1528), a Moroccan mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Her treatise on the motion of celestial bodies was widely studied and celebrated in scholarly circles of the time.
In the 17th century, Noria Al-Halabi (1620-1689) was a prominent Syrian calligrapher and artist known for her exquisite calligraphic works and illuminated manuscripts. Her artistry and mastery of the Arabic script earned her recognition throughout the Ottoman Empire.
Noria Al-Masry (1785-1862), an Egyptian scholar and poet, was another notable figure who carried this name. She was renowned for her expertise in Arabic language and literature, as well as her contributions to the promotion of women's education and intellectual pursuits.
While the name Noria may have ebbed and flowed in popularity over the centuries, its historical roots and associations with water, agriculture, and intellectual pursuits have left an indelible mark on the cultural tapestry of the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Noria + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Noria 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
Noria: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Noria?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Noria 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Noria a common name?
We classify Noria as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Noria most popular?
The single biggest year for Noria was 2017, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Noria is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Noria in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 284 people with the name Noria, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,583 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 Noria 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 Noria?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Noria leans strongly female. 281 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 6 male bearers (2.1%). 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 Noria?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Noria is Hispanic at 29.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.5%) and Black (20.4%). 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 Noria most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Noria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 29.6% (84 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 Noria in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Noria a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Noria 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 Noria still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Noria 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 Noria 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 Noria as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Noria on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.