Nox
A gender neutral Latin name meaning "night" or "darkness".
Name Census estimates that about 305 living Americans carry the first name Nox. It is a predominantly male name (98.4% of registrations). The average person named Nox today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nox births was 2023 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nox. 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
305
~ 1 in 1,123,785 Americans
Peak year
2023
40 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,743
Tracked since 2010
Gender
Gender distribution for Nox
Nox leans heavily male at 98.4% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Nox as a male name
- Ranked #3,743 in 2024
- 30 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (37 births)
Nox as a female name
- Ranked #16,958 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (5 births)
Popularity
Nox: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nox from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 158 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
Nox 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 Nox during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nox' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nox
The name Nox originates from Latin, where it means "night." It is derived from the Latin word "nox," which translates to darkness or nighttime. The name is believed to have been in use since ancient Roman times, as the Romans personified the concept of night as a deity known as Nox.
In Roman mythology, Nox was the goddess of night, depicted as a winged figure draped in black robes and carrying a staff. She was the daughter of Chaos and the mother of various personifications, including Somnus (Sleep) and Mors (Death). The name Nox was often invoked in rituals and ceremonies related to the night or darkness.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Nox can be found in Ovid's "Metamorphoses," a collection of mythological stories written in the 1st century AD. In this work, Nox is described as a powerful and mysterious figure, capable of enveloping the world in darkness.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Nox. One of the earliest was Nox, a Roman philosopher who lived in the 2nd century AD and wrote extensively on the nature of the universe and the role of the divine.
In the 5th century AD, Nox was the name of a Christian martyr who was executed for his faith during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. His story is recorded in various hagiographies (writings about the lives of saints) from that era.
During the Renaissance period, Nox was the name of a renowned Italian painter and sculptor who lived in the 16th century. His works, which often depicted scenes from classical mythology, were highly influential in the art world of the time.
In the 19th century, Nox was the pen name used by a British poet and writer whose real name was Edward Thompson. His works, which often explored themes of darkness and melancholy, were popular during the Romantic era.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Nox was the name of a French aviator and adventurer who gained fame for his daring exploits in the skies. He was born in 1892 and died in a plane crash in 1927, but his legacy as a pioneer in aviation lived on.
These are just a few examples of the historical individuals who have borne the name Nox, which has its roots in the ancient Roman personification of the night and has been used across various cultures and time periods.
People
Nox + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nox 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
Nox: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nox?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 305 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nox 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 1,123,785 US residents.
Is Nox a common name?
We classify Nox as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 307 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nox most popular?
The single biggest year for Nox was 2023, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nox is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nox a male name?
Yes, 98.4% of people registered as Nox 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.
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.