Nuala
Irish feminine name meaning "daughter of the eminence" or "fair lady".
Name Census estimates that about 335 living Americans carry the first name Nuala. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nuala today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nuala births was 2009 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nuala. 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 Nuala with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
335
~ 1 in 1,023,147 Americans
Peak year
2009
26 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,479
Tracked since 1948
Census
Nuala in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 586 people with the first name Nuala, which placed it at #18,401 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
#18,401
National first-name rank
People counted
586
586 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
89.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nuala
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nuala is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Nuala 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 Nuala at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 527
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 25
- Two or more races3.4% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Nuala: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nuala from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 118 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nuala remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nuala 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 Nuala during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nualas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nuala
Nuala is a feminine given name of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "nuallan," which means "a cry" or "a roar." The name has been in use since ancient times and is believed to have originated in Ireland during the medieval period.
The name Nuala is closely associated with Irish mythology and folklore. It is said that the name was initially given to a goddess or fairy who was known for her beautiful singing voice. According to legend, the enchanting melodies of Nuala could captivate even the most hardened of hearts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nuala can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a woman named Nuala who lived in the 12th century and was known for her exceptional beauty and grace.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nuala. One of the most famous was Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill (1952-2008), an acclaimed Irish poet and academic who wrote extensively in both Irish and English. Her works explored themes of identity, language, and the human experience.
Another notable Nuala was Nuala O'Faolain (1940-2008), an Irish journalist, and writer who gained international recognition for her memoir, "Are You Somebody? The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman." Her candid and introspective writing shed light on the complexities of modern Irish society.
In the realm of music, Nuala Kennedy (born 1967) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician who has made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Irish music. Her haunting vocals and captivating performances have earned her critical acclaim and a devoted following.
Nuala Ní Chonchúir (born 1970) is an Irish writer and poet whose works often explore themes of identity, family, and the human condition. Her short story collections and novels have garnered numerous awards and accolades, cementing her place as a prominent voice in contemporary Irish literature.
Finally, Nuala Archer (1939-2023) was an Irish actress and singer best known for her roles in several popular television series, including "The Riordans" and "Glenroe." Her talent and versatility as a performer made her a beloved figure in Irish entertainment.
People
Nuala + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nuala 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
Nuala: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nuala?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 335 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nuala 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 1,023,147 US residents.
Is Nuala a common name?
We classify Nuala as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 356 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nuala most popular?
The single biggest year for Nuala was 2009, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nuala is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nuala in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 586 people with the name Nuala, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,401 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 Nuala 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 Nuala?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nuala appears almost entirely female. Of the 581 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Nuala?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nuala is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Nuala most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nuala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (527 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 Nuala in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nuala a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nuala 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 Nuala still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nuala 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 Nuala 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 Americans are named Nuala?
See how many Americans are named Nuala on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.