Nourah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "light" or "radiance".
Name Census estimates that about 67 living Americans carry the first name Nourah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nourah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nourah births was 2019 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nourah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Nourah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nourah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
67
~ 1 in 5,115,736 Americans
Peak year
2019
10 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,035
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Nourah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nourah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 32 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
Nourah 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 Nourah 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 Nourah
The name Nourah is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "nur" which means "light" or "radiance" in the Arabic language. This name has been in use for centuries and is deeply rooted in the Islamic culture and tradition.
In the Islamic faith, light holds significant symbolism, representing knowledge, guidance, and enlightenment. The Quran, the central religious text of Islam, often uses the term "nur" to describe the light of faith and the divine revelation.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nourah can be traced back to the 7th century, during the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the early Muslim community. Historical records mention several women named Nourah who were companions of the Prophet and played influential roles in the spread of Islam.
One notable figure bearing this name was Nourah bint Al-Harith, a prominent female scholar and narrator of hadith (sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad). She lived in the 7th century and was renowned for her deep knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the preservation of the Prophet's teachings.
Another historical figure named Nourah was Nourah bint Malik Al-Ansariyah, a woman from the Ansar tribe who pledged allegiance to the Prophet Muhammad and participated in various battles alongside the early Muslim community. She is remembered for her bravery and devotion to the cause of Islam.
In the 9th century, Nourah bint al-Husayn al-Alawiyah was a prominent female scholar and poet from the Abbasid era. She was known for her expertise in various fields, including Arabic literature, poetry, and Islamic sciences.
During the Ottoman Empire, the name Nourah gained further popularity, and several notable figures bore this name. One such individual was Nourah Sultan, the daughter of Sultan Murad III, who lived in the 16th century and was known for her philanthropic work and patronage of art and literature.
In more recent times, Nourah Al-Sadoun, a Kuwaiti author and activist born in 1958, has made significant contributions to the literary and cultural landscape of the Arab world through her novels, short stories, and advocacy for women's rights.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who carried the name Nourah, reflecting its enduring presence and significance within the Arabic and Islamic traditions over the centuries.
People
Nourah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nourah 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
Nourah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nourah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 67 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nourah 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 5,115,736 US residents.
Is Nourah a common name?
We classify Nourah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 67 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nourah most popular?
The single biggest year for Nourah was 2019, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nourah is about 8 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 Nourah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nourah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nourah 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 Nourah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nourah 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 Nourah 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 common is the name Nourah?
See how many Americans are named Nourah on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.